Janet Stewart, MSc,  —

The National Institutes of Health (NIH)  has awarded $4 million to the departments of emergency medicine and hematology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City to test a creative new approach for treating sickle cell disease (SCD). The strategy involves inhaled corticosteroids that…

Sickle cell trait (SCT) is not associated with an increased incidence of stroke, a study in African-American patients suggests. The study, “Association of Sickle Cell Trait With Ischemic Stroke Among African Americans: A Meta-analysis,” was published in the journal JAMA Neurology. Sickle cell trait occurs in…

Memantine, a standard treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, has shown promise in treating sickle cell disease (SCD) in six patients, a 12-month pilot clinical trial found. The findings were presented at the American Physiological Society’s Physiological and Pathophysiological Consequences of Sickle Cell Disease conference in Washington, D.C. The study’s lead researcher,…

A Phase 1 clinical trial of Imara’s new investigational drug, IMR-687, showed that it was safe and well-tolerated in healthy volunteers, paving the way for a Phase 2 trial in adults with sickle cell disease (SCD). Imara, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, plans to start a Phase 2 trial of IMR-687…

Over $18 million has been given to support research into how best to assist young people with sickle cell disease (SCD) moving from pediatric to adult care. The award comes from the board of governors of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Transiting to adult care can be difficult, as children…

A study of children with sickle cell disease (SCD) referred for an evaluation of neuropsychological deficits found that while 19 of 89 patients (25%) were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), only 21% with ADHD had been prescribed medication for it. The study, “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in…

Adolescents and young adults with sickle cell disease (SCD) who don’t regularly take the medication hydroxyurea (or who don’t adhere to prescribed instructions) are generally those with medication-taking barriers such as forgetfulness, lack of access, poor medication knowledge, fear of side effects, or doubts about the drug’s treatment, according to new research. Patients…