News

Vascarta is launching a proof-of-concept Phase 1 clinical study to test its topical curcumin gel VAS-101 — which uses a component of turmeric — in people with sickle cell disease (SCD). The experimental therapy, also known as Vascepto, is designed to be applied onto the skin. It contains curcumin,…

The U.S. Patent Office has given AB Science notice that it will allow a patent to be issued covering the use of the experimental therapy masitinib for sickle cell disease (SCD). This medical use patent will be valid until November 2040, giving AB Science exclusive rights to develop masitinib…

Women with sickle cell disease (SCD) have markedly elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of body-wide inflammation, during the first half of their menstrual cycles, and these variations may contribute to recurrent patterns of vaso-occlusive events (VOEs), complications resulting from blood vessel obstruction that include painful…

Researchers have developed a modelling system of tiny blood vessels to track inflammation-driven blood clot formation that can cause complications in sickle cell disease (SCD) and other conditions. “One of the biggest things about being able to create [blood clots] under inflammatory conditions is that we are now able…

Bluebird Bio and Xcellbio have entered into an agreement to support the commercialization of Lyfgenia (lovotibeglogene autotemcel), Bluebird’s gene therapy for sickle cell disease, incorporating Xcellbio technology into Bluebird’s potency assay with the aim of helping to ensure the therapy’s effectiveness. “We’re humbled to play a small part in…

A toolkit may facilitate the active involvement of parents of young children with sickle cell disease (SCD) in shared decision-making regarding hydroxyurea treatment for their children, a study suggests. However, the odds of these young patients being offered and prescribed hydroxyurea were higher among those who received usual…

This year, for the first time, two teenagers in Florence, South Carolina, are going to be able to go swimming on spring break without worrying about serious complications from sickle cell disease (SCD). Ashanti and Dontrell Pickens have long wanted to swim on their school holidays, but were not…

This month, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Nursing is hosting a conference that aims to educate primary care doctors about sickle cell disease (SCD). The Sickle Cell Disease Comprehensive Management for Health Care Providers conference is being funded by a two-year, $364,502 grant from the…

Scientists have discovered more than a dozen genes that regulate the production of fetal hemoglobin in people of African descent, which may be potential treatment targets for sickle cell disease (SCD). Their findings were reported in the study, “FLT1 and other candidate fetal haemoglobin modifying loci…

People with sickle cell disease (SCD) who are hospitalized for opioid overdose have fewer serious complications than those without the condition, but face longer hospital stays, higher costs, and unique healthcare challenges that require specialized care, a study found. “A multidisciplinary approach to pain management, tailored to individual patient…