After designer wear it is now the turn of designer babies.
Scientists at a Sydney fertility clinic have made history by helping a couple conceive a baby who will be an exact tissue match for his four-year-old brother.
The four-year-old kid, who has been identified as BJ, suffers from a progressive genetic disorder -- Hyper IgM Syndrome -- that will eventually kill him if not treated, the Daily Telegraph reports.
And helping him get well would be his baby brother whose stem cells from the discarded umbilical cord will be used to save BJ.
Such a technique was pioneered in the US, where baby Adam Nash was conceived in 2000 to help cure his sister Molly of a blood disorder.
Leanne, mother of BJ, is now pregnant with the help of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) technique.
Leanne says her second child is a gift of life for her son. Stephen, Leanne's husband, added they had been planning the second child for some time.
Agencies