News

Using stem cells from a closely matched sibling increases the chance that a sickle-cell disease transplant will succeed, and the patient survive, a study reports. The study, “Sickle cell disease: an international survey of results of HLA-identical sibling hematopoietic stem cell transplantation,” was published in the journal Blood. It…

Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), a biomarker that measures blood sugar levels, may systematically underestimate past glycemia among African-American patients with sickle cell trait (SCT). These findings highlight the importance of further evaluating this biomarker, which may be leading to misdiagnoses and poor treatment among black patients. The study “Association of…

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a $4.3 million research grant to Dr. Allison A. King of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis to support her research on sickle cell disease, with particular focus on teens and adults. The grant — believed to be the…

Genetically engineered mini-pig models of sickle cell disease (SCD) that closely mimic the condition in people will be created as part of a contract with Exemplar Genetics. The models could help researchers find new treatments for the disease. The work will support the efforts of the National Institutes of…

The β-hemoglobin gene and protein in humans and mice are similar, which makes a laboratory mouse a very useful partner in studies of β-hemoglobin-related disorders, like sickle cell disease, and possible treatment targets. A review looked at the benefits and shortcomings of animal models of β-hemoglobin diseases, and suggested that the time had come to move “beyond” them.

A Brazilian study showed that nearly 25 percent of children and adolescents with sickle cell disease (SCD) have pulmonary function abnormalities, and suggests that childhood testing may be able to screen for chronic lung disease in these patients. Findings of the study, “Pulmonary…

Scientists in Boston are creating a stem cell library that could write a new chapter for far-reaching possibilities in sickle cell disease (SCD) research and innovative therapy development. The library comprises sickle cell disease-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which can can renew as many times as necessary without any type…

An analysis of white matter hyperintensity (WMH, a measure of the risk of stroke) may serve as a biomarker to track the progression of blood vessel anomalies associated with sickle cell disease (SCD) and to check whether treatments were effective, according to new research. The research study, “Enhanced Long-Term…

African Americans who are carriers of the sickle cell trait (SCT) aren’t less fit and are not at greater risk of developing hypertension, diabetes, or metabolic syndrome as they reach middle age compared to non-carriers, new research shows. The study, “Longitudinal association among sickle cell trait, fitness, and cardiovascular disease…

Metformin, a common drug for type 2 diabetes could also be used to treat sickle cell anemia by increasing levels of fetal hemoglobin, found a study conducted by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers.