DENVER, the United States, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- The first drug based on a patient's own DNA has been used to treat a nine-year-old girl fighting a rare neurological disease in the United States, according to a recent local media report.
The DNA of the girl, Mila Makovec, was used in the drug's creation. Mila's doctors said her case had pushed specialized drug development ahead by at least 10 years, according to an article published by The Colorado Sun.
Having noticed her daughter's symptoms when she was three, Mila's mother, Julia Vitarello, visited 100 doctors and therapists within three years, but to no avail.
Vitarello then took to social media to raise funds and help find a cure for her daughter's condition, leading to the creation of Mila's Miracle Foundation and the raising of 3 million U.S. dollars.
The man credited with designing the drug was Timothy Yu, a neurogeneticist at Boston Children's Hospital.
In early 2017, after seeing her Facebook plea, Yu contacted Vitarello and assembled a team, in an effort to help young Mila. Meanwhile, Vitarello found a Californian drug company that could quickly manufacture the medicine.
Despite the efforts, however, Mila's condition has deteriorated, and her prognosis of survival is not good, doctors told The Colorado Sun.
