Chris Long received a bone marrow transplant to treat his leukemia. Four years later, analyzes show that his DNA has been replaced by that of his donor in certain parts of his body.
This is an unexpected discovery: an American learned that part of his DNA had been replaced by that of his bone marrow donor. Several years after receiving the transplant, he discovered that his donor’s DNA was present in certain parts of his body, including his lips and cheeks. His story is told by the New York Times.
Donor DNA first found in blood
Three months after his operation, Chris Long notices that the DNA present in his blood has been replaced by that of the donor. This is not surprising with these kinds of procedures. Four years later, a colleague suggests that he redo blood tests. Doctors found that other parts of the body were affected including his cheeks, tongue and lips and even his semen. In the New York TimesChris Long says: “I said to myself that it was quite incredible that I could disappear to give way to someone else”. In this case, his DNA matches that of a young German.
A case that interests the police
Chris Long is a case of chimerism: the term refers to people who carry two sets of DNA. His situation is of interest to the scientific community and he was even the subject of a conference last September. what happens to him asks questions for science but also for the police. During an investigation, DNA is one of the main tools of law enforcement: what happens if the person has undergone a transplant? Which DNA is “good”? the New York Times uncovered several cases where a spinal cord transplant had misled police. In 2004, in Alaska, the police find a DNA sequence at a crime scene, it corresponds to a man imprisoned at the time of the events. Investigations will show that he had previously received a bone marrow transplant from his brother. It was the latter who was convicted.
What DNA for his offspring?
If the donor’s DNA has replaced that of the recipient in his sperm, scientists are wondering about the DNA of the offspring. For some researchers, it is obvious that it would be the patient’s DNA that would be passed on to the children. As Chris Long previously underwent a vasectomy, his case will not answer the question. science.
Four years after a man received a lifesaving bone marrow transplant, all the DNA in his semen had been replaced by that of his donor. We answered readers’ questions about the case. https://t.co/TqXuh4jSA5
— NYT Health (@NYTHealth) December 13, 2019
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