News

Hydroxyurea may effectively reduce the risk of stroke in children with sickle cell disease (SCD), a systematic review has found. “This review highlights the need for further research to understand the real-world feasibility and practical implications of hydroxyurea dosing strategies and to explore its long-term safety and efficacy…

A scientist at Florida Atlantic University, Sarah E. Du, has been named a senior member of the U.S. National Academy of Inventors in recognition of her significant contributions to innovation and invention, including her work on diagnostic and monitoring tools for sickle cell disease (SCD). The academy’s Senior Members…

Despite advancements in medical care, pregnant women with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at a higher risk of complications and require close monitoring, a nationwide French study has found. SCD is associated with a significantly higher likelihood of maternal and fetal complications, preterm birth, and caesarean sections (C-sections), data…

Undergoing a bone marrow transplant during adolescence may reduce the risk of stroke in people with sickle cell disease (SCD), while waiting until adulthood is unlikely to mitigate this risk, a mouse study suggests. “We saw that if you wait until after the vasculature is damaged to do this…

Most people with sickle cell disease (SCD) who received a new type of stem cell transplant in a clinical trial were free of disease-related clinical events after two years, according to a study. The scientists said the findings demonstrate that the approach, which uses a lower-intensity conditioning regimen…

The incidence of vaso-occlusive episodes and acute chest syndrome in children with sickle cell disease (SCD) is elevated during January to March, a large nationwide, retrospective study in the U.S. suggests. The findings reinforce the need for “recommendations for patients with SCD to take appropriate precautions in cold weather,”…

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is associated with enhanced immune B-cell responses and the production of self-reactive antibodies that target and destroy red blood cells, according to data from a mouse model of the disease and patient samples. These changes in immune responses were regulated by type-1 interferons (IFN-1), an…

A sickle cell disease (SCD) patient in Bahrain received the gene-editing therapy Casgevy (exagamglogene autotemcel), becoming the first patient outside the U.S. to be treated with the drug. Bahrain approved Casgevy in late 2023, becoming the first country in the Middle East to approve the therapy and the…

Some children with sickle cell disease (SCD) may benefit from supplementing with folic acid, according to a clinical trial. Supplementation was found to significantly increase the levels of red blood cell folate, a molecule important for the production of red blood cells, compared with a placebo. However, no differences…

Vertex Pharmaceuticals has entered a reimbursement agreement with the National Health Service in England that will enable eligible sickle cell disease (SCD) patients in that country to get access to treatment with Casgevy (exagamglogene autotemcel) via the public health system. “[This] agreement means eligible sickle cell disease…