Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle-cell disease, or sickle-cell anaemia (or drepanocytosis), is a life-long blood disorder characterized by red blood cells that assume an abnormal, rigid, sickle shape. Sickling decreases the cells' flexibility and results in a risk of various complications.

Understanding Sickle Cell Disease

World Sickle Cell Day is June 19 and was created by the United Nations in 2006 to raise global awareness for sickle cell disease as a public health problem. Sickle cell disease is an extremely debilitating medical condition.

What is Sickle-Cell Disease?

Sickle-Cell Disease Classification

Sickle Cell Disease Diagnosis

Sickle-Cell Disease Pathophysiology

Sickle-Cell Disease Genetics

Sickle-Cell Disease Treatment

Sickle-Cell Disease History

Sickle Cell Disease Carriers

Sickle-Cell Disease Symptoms

What is Sickle Cell Trait (SCT)?

Treatment Options for Sickle Cell Disease

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COVID-19 and Sickle Cell Disease

Current Challenges in Sickle Cell Disease

Latest Sickle Cell Disease News and Research

Scientists uncover a previously unrecognized tumor suppression mechanism

There are processes in the human body that can suppress the growth and proliferation of cancer cells. These mechanisms, including those involving the tumor suppressor protein p53, are widely studied due to their critical role in disease.

12 Nov 2024

Patient Claim Line outlines key signs of stroke and how to reduce risks

Every five minutes, someone in the UK will experience a stroke, with 1.3 million people in the country having survived a stroke. The condition can be both life-threatening and life-altering, so knowing what to look out for and how to act in the event of a stroke is essential.

26 Oct 2024

Adenine base editors show potential to correct X-CGD-causing mutations

A collaborative effort between investigators at the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, demonstrates the potential of precise genome editing technologies, called adenine base editors, to correct disease-causing mutations in stem cells from patients with X-linked chronic granulomatous disease (X-CGD), a rare genetic disorder characterized by high susceptibility to infections.

16 Oct 2024

Gene editing enhances immunotherapy success by preventing T-cell exhaustion

Immunotherapy, using a patient's own immune system to treat disease, has shown promise in some patients with cancer but has not worked in most.

12 Oct 2024

SCD health disparities tied to community factors

A new study finds that preschool-aged children with sickle cell disease (SCD) who live in food deserts and have limited access to transportation are at greater risk for acute complications and hospitalizations, despite receiving free evidence-based therapy and social support, according to results published today in Blood Advances.

8 Oct 2024

Over 80% of women are iron deficient by their third trimester

Iron deficiency is prevalent among pregnant women, impacting health outcomes. This study emphasizes the importance of monitoring and nutrition during pregnancy.

30 Sep 2024

New approach to B-ALL treatment reduces side effects and enhances survival

Clinical trial results from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital demonstrate benefits to using genomics and early treatment response to guide risk classification of children with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL).

24 Sep 2024

MaxCyte signs strategic platform license with Kamau Therapeutics to accelerate the development of cell therapies for genetic diseases

MaxCyte, Inc., a leading, cell-engineering focused company providing enabling platform technologies to advance the discovery, development and commercialization of next-generation cell-based therapeutics and innovative bioprocessing applications, and Kamau Therapeutics, a clinical-stage stem cell therapy gene correction company, today announced they are entering into a strategic platform license (SPL) agreement.

From MaxCyte, Inc. 23 Sep 2024

Stroke risk rises in patients with sickle cell disease despite established guidelines

The incidence of stroke continues to increase for adults and children living with sickle cell disease (SCD) despite the Stroke Prevention Trial in Sickle Cell Anemia (STOP) establishing standards of care like transfusions and tests to measure blood flow in the brain for those deemed high-risk, according to a study published today in Blood.

20 Sep 2024

Sickle cell trait increases risk of blood clots across diverse ancestries

National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers and collaborators have found that being a carrier for sickle cell disease, known as having sickle cell trait, increases the risk of blood clots, a risk that is the same among diverse human populations that may not traditionally be associated with sickle cell disease.

12 Sep 2024

Benefits of less intensive stem cell transplants for sickle cell disease

So-called low-intensity blood stem cell transplants, which use milder conditioning agents than standard stem cell transplants, do not appear to damage the lungs and may help improve lung function in some patients with sickle cell disease (SCD), according to a three-year study of adults who underwent the procedure at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

28 Aug 2024

Study reveals a paradigm shift in the understanding of T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (St. Jude) and the Children's Oncology Group (COG) today announced a significant paradigm shift in the understanding of T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), an aggressive and high-risk form of cancer, to one frequently driven by genetic changes in non-coding portions of our DNA.

14 Aug 2024

Study uncovers OLAH as key driver of fatal respiratory disease

Respiratory infections can be severe, even deadly, in some individuals, but not in others.

12 Aug 2024

New genomic predictors of relapse in childhood B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia uncovered

Scientists from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Seattle Children's and the Children's Oncology Group (COG) have identified novel genetic variations that influence relapse risk in children with standard risk B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (SR B-ALL), the most common childhood cancer.

12 Aug 2024

SARS-CoV-2 protein linked to onset of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have identified a link between a SARS-CoV-2 protein and the onset of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).

7 Aug 2024

Understanding the age gap in leukemia survival rates

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) affects both children and adults, but children have better chances to be cured, with long-term survival rates over 85% compared to 50-75% in adults. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital conducted a comprehensive study to understand the biological causes driving this difference. The work, published today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, provides a blueprint for understanding B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), the most common form of the disease.

7 Aug 2024

Study advances understanding of complex neurological disorder

To effectively treat a disease or disorder, doctors must first know the root cause. Such is the case for developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs), whose root causes can be hugely complex and heterogeneous. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital demonstrated the value of DNA methylation patterns for identifying the root cause of DEEs, showing specific gene methylation and genome-wide methylation "episignatures" can help identify the genes that cause DEE. The findings were published today in Nature Communications.

7 Aug 2024