{"id":48158,"date":"2026-05-21T14:00:43","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T12:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/?p=48158"},"modified":"2026-05-21T13:28:05","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T11:28:05","slug":"a-baby-boy-was-born-healthy-at-semmelweis-after-his-embryo-was-screened-for-severe-sma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/2026\/05\/a-baby-boy-was-born-healthy-at-semmelweis-after-his-embryo-was-screened-for-severe-sma\/","title":{"rendered":"A baby boy was born healthy at Semmelweis after his embryo was screened for severe SMA"},"content":{"rendered":"
The baby boy \u2013 who had been conceived through in vitro fertilization at Semmelweis University so that doctors could apply a modern procedure to screen for the hereditary condition SMA while he was still an embryo \u2013 was born healthy and is doing well. Preimplantation genetic testing helps couples who wish to screen their embryos for known genetic disorders in order to ensure the birth of a healthy child. Semmelweis University was the first medical school in Hungary to make this state-of-the-art diagnostic method available last year to couples participating in the in vitro fertilization program. This is the first case in Hungary of a mother giving birth to a healthy child using this procedure, which took place entirely within the public healthcare system.<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cOur firstborn son, who had been conceived naturally, was diagnosed with SMA at six months of age. That\u2019s when we found out that both my husband and I carry a genetic mutation that, when combined, can cause SMA. As a result, there is a 25 percent chance that our future child would also be affected, so we decided to undergo IVF and seek genetic counseling,\u201d says Klaudia Cserti-Csap\u00f3n\u00e9 Nogli, who recently gave birth to a healthy baby at Semmelweis University.<\/p>\n

The fertilized egg underwent preimplantation genetic testing, meaning that the pre-embryos were screened before implantation; this procedure successfully prevented the transmission of SMA, a rare\u00a0neuromuscular disorder\u00a0that results in the loss of\u00a0motor neurons\u00a0and progressive\u00a0muscle wasting. You can read about this innovative procedure in detail in this article<\/a>. Among other things, this procedure can help detect serious conditions such as cystic fibrosis, SMA, Huntington\u2019s disease, Turner syndrome, or congenital iris agenesis. Semmelweis University was the first medical school in Hungary to make this state-of-the-art diagnostic method available last year to couples participating in the in vitro fertilization program. And this is the first case in Hungary where a mother has given birth to a healthy child using this procedure, conducted entirely within the public healthcare system.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>“The goal of this method is to identify severe hereditary genetic conditions similar to SMA. By screening for these disorders, we can give prospective parents the chance to have a healthy child. As early as five days after fertilization, pre-embryos can be subjected to DNA testing to determine whether they are affected by a particular disease,\u201d explains Dr. J\u00e1nos K\u00f3sa, a biologist and senior research fellow at the Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory of the Department of Internal Medicine and Oncology at Semmelweis University, who oversaw the preimplantation genetic testing.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cDuring the IVF program, only embryos that have not inherited serious genetic defects are selected for transfer, thereby increasing the chances of a healthy birth,\u201d says Dr. Art\u00far Beke, the attending physician who also serves as a specialist in molecular diagnostics and a clinical geneticist at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. \u201cWith the help of diagnostic testing, serious disorders that can significantly impair quality of life can be identified even before the embryo is implanted,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The Prenatal and Preimplantation Genetics Working Group at Semmelweis University was formed in 2024 through a collaboration between the Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory of the Department of Internal Medicine and Oncology, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the Assisted Reproduction Center (ARC) led by Dr. Mikl\u00f3s Sipos. Details about their work can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Csongor and his mother are doing well, they were discharged from the Semmelweis University clinic a week ago.<\/p>\n

Eszter Csat\u00e1ri-F\u00f6ldv\u00e1ry, Eszter Kov\u00e1cs
\nTranslation: Judit D\u0151tsch
\nPhotos by Bogl\u00e1rka Zellei, B\u00e1lint Barta \u2013 Semmelweis University<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The fertilized egg was subjected to a preimplantation genetic test.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":102255,"featured_media":48159,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[129,286],"tags":[215],"class_list":["post-48158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-x-nyitolap","tag-healing"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/102255"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48158"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48158\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48164,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48158\/revisions\/48164"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}