David Melamed, PhD,  —

Graphite Bio, a startup biotech company, has raised $45 million in an initial financing round to advance its gene editing technology to treat sickle cell disease and other genetic conditions. The technology being developed at Graphite is designed to target a specific gene and repair it in living cells…

Emotional distress affected nearly half of the parents caring for adolescents with sickle cell disease in a recent study, with greater numbers of hospital visits and other life disruptions predicting higher stress levels. Psychosocial support and education to help caregivers be more resilient and better able to cope could improve…

Cannabis could be a safe and potentially effective way of easing chronic pain in people with sickle cell disease (SCD), according to results of a small clinical trial. Although the benefits in pain were not statistically significant compared to a placebo, pain interference in mood decreased over the five-day…

Taking vitamin D supplements may lower the number of visits to the emergency department due to vaso-occlusive pain episodes in African American children with sickle cell disease (SCD), a study found. The findings also showed that 45% of these children with SCD have vitamin D deficiency. The study, “…

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded researchers at Rice University a four-year, $2.45-million grant to support the development of a CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing treatment for sickle cell disease (SCD). Funding preclinical research, the R01 grant seeks to advance a way to modify…

The nonprofit HealthWell Foundation launched a new fund to help people with sickle cell disease afford their treatments. Awards will provide up to $10,000 over 12 months to eligible patients being treated for sickle cell in the United States. To qualify, patients must have health insurance that covers…

The Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (SCDAA) has announced the extension of its ongoing COVID-19 Emergency Fund Campaign to meet the needs of people with sickle cell disease (SCD) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The initial goal of the fundraiser was to raise $100,000 in 10…

The supply of the sickle cell disease (SCD) medication Endari (L-glutamine) will not be affected by the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, Emmaus Life Sciences said in an update to the SCD community While closely monitoring the pandemic, the company said its supply of Endari is large…