Blocking the activity of a protein called BACH2 may be a valuable strategy for treating sickle cell disease (SCD) and related blood disorders, a study shows. Researchers found that suppressing BACH2 could increase the production of fetal hemoglobin (HbF). Increasing HbF levels is an established approach for SCD…
News
Roche has announced the launch of a new test that can screen newborns for sickle cell disease (SCD) and two other serious genetic disorders at the same time. The test, known as the LightMix Newborn TREC/SMN1/HBB kit, simultaneously screens for SCD, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and severe…
A researcher at the University of Cincinnati has received more than $550,000 in grant funding to study what drives bone damage and chronic pain in people with sickle cell disease (SCD). The funding was awarded to Jahnavi Gollamudi, MD, a research assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati College…
Healthcare professionals and patient representatives from Cyprus, Greece, and Italy are joining forces in a regional initiative aimed at improving care for people with hemoglobinopathies, inherited blood disorders that include sickle cell disease (SCD) and thalassemia. The Mediterranean Network for Haemoglobinopathies (MNfH), recently launched in Rome, aims to address…
Among children with sickle cell anemia (SCA) and cerebral macrovasculopathy (CV), or disease affecting the brain’s large and medium-sized blood vessels, age at CV diagnosis, the severity of blood vessel narrowing, and bronchial obstruction independently predicted CV reversal. In this long-term follow-up study of 50 children receiving regular blood…
A research team at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has received a $4.1 million grant to investigate how everyday environmental exposures — from air pollution and temperature to food, housing, and stress — may affect the health of people with sickle cell disease (SCD). The five-year…
Advocacy groups across the U.S. are hosting events throughout September to mark Sickle Cell Awareness Month. The month has been recognized since the 1980s as a time to raise awareness about sickle cell disease (SCD), a genetic disorder that affects red blood cells. This year, advocacy groups including the…
Genetix Biotherapeutics is teaming up with the National Football League Alumni Association for a campaign to increase awareness of one-time genetic treatments for sickle cell disease (SCD). “Despite hundreds of patients now treated, the vast majority of eligible patients remain untreated, primarily due to lack of awareness that…
Common pain relievers, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or acetaminophen, combined with standard opioid care, may provide meaningful relief for acute pain in people with sickle cell disease (SCD), according to a review study. Cognitive behavioral therapy, a type of talk therapy, also showed signs of efficacy against…
The first participant has now been dosed in a global clinical trial designed to confirm the benefits of mitapivat, an oral therapy under regulatory review in the U.S. for the treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD), its developer Agios Pharmaceuticals announced. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)…
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