Blood Disorder News and Research

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FAU researcher finds unique way to monitor sickle cell disease

A researcher from Florida Atlantic University has come up with a unique way to monitor sickle cell disease -- a serious blood disorder -- using a smart phone. With a $166,935 grant from the National Science Foundation, E. (Sarah) Du, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering in FAU's College of Engineering and Computer Science, and principal investigator, will develop a portable smart sensor and a phone application for patients to analyze and store the results of their blood tests on a smart phone.

23 Sep 2015

Novartis receives FDA approval for expanded use of Promacta for younger children with rare blood disorder

Novartis announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved an expanded use for Promacta to include children 1 year of age and older with chronic immune thrombocytopenia who have had an insufficient response to corticosteroids, immunoglobulins or splenectomy.

26 Aug 2015

Cheshire woman searches for lifesaving blood stem cell donor

A search is taking place to find someone with a matching tissue-type who can donate blood stem cells to save the life of a woman from Cheshire.

20 Aug 2015

Researchers track down key gene mutation responsible for causing acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Two medical researchers from the Children's Hospital of Michigan and the Wayne State University School of Medicine have published the results of a nearly 10-year investigation that identified a key gene mutation that can trigger acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL, and several other types of cancer.

18 Jun 2015

Novartis announces FDA approval of Promacta for treatment of children with chronic ITP

Novartis announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved Promacta (eltrombopag) for the treatment of children six years and older with chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) who have had an insufficient response to corticosteroids, immunoglobulins or splenectomy. Promacta was approved by the FDA in 2008 for use in adult patients with the same condition.

15 Jun 2015

MSK begins CAR T cell clinical trial for children with relapsed or treatment-resistant ALL

Researchers from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center are pioneering a new groundbreaking clinical trial for children and young adults with relapsed or treatment-resistant acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) by using one of the most promising methods of cancer treatment today, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells.

12 Apr 2015

New research finds old blood just as good as fresh blood

Just like milk and many other foods, blood used for transfusions is perishable. But contrary to popular belief, new research shows that blood stored for three weeks is just as good as fresh blood - findings published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

18 Mar 2015

Longer donor leukocyte telomere length linked to improved survival following HCT

Among patients with severe aplastic anemia who received stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor, longer leukocyte (white blood cells) telomere length (a structure at the end of a chromosome) was associated with increased overall survival at 5 years, according to a study in the February 10 issue of JAMA.

12 Feb 2015

Spark Therapeutics, Pfizer partner to develop SPK-FIX for potential treatment of hemophilia B

Spark Therapeutics, a late-stage gene therapy company developing treatments for debilitating genetic diseases, announced today that it has entered into a global collaboration with Pfizer Inc. for the development and potential commercialization of SPK-FIX, a development program advancing proprietary, bio-engineered adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors for the potential treatment of hemophilia B.

8 Dec 2014

Emerging strategies to boost healthy RBCs may reduce burden of anemia linked to blood disorders

Emerging treatment approaches may reduce the burden of anemia associated with blood disorders by enhancing production of healthy red blood cells, according to data presented today at the 56th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition.

7 Dec 2014

Penn Medicine-developed drug gets FDA orphan status for PNH treatment

A Penn Medicine-developed drug has received orphan status from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this month for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), a rare, life-threatening disease that causes anemia due to destruction of red blood cells and thrombosis.

28 Oct 2014

Molecular diagnostics and blood screening systems: an interview with Dr Bos and Dr Koppelman

Screening blood donations and molecular diagnostics for patients started in the nineties. At the beginning, the level of automation in molecular diagnostic testing was limited; most of the work had to be done manually.

12 Oct 2014

Research performed in anemic mice shows acetate stimulates the formation of red blood cells

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers seeking novel treatments for anemia found that giving acetate, the major component of household vinegar, to anemic mice stimulated the formation of new red blood cells.

30 Sep 2014

Scientists identify gene mutation that causes aplastic anemia

An international team of scientists has identified a gene mutation that causes aplastic anemia, a serious blood disorder in which the bone marrow fails to produce normal amounts of blood cells.

23 Sep 2014

Simple point-of-care testing device provides more rapid diagnosis of anemia

A simple point-of-care testing device for anemia could provide more rapid diagnosis of the common blood disorder and allow inexpensive at-home self-monitoring of persons with chronic forms of the disease.

15 Sep 2014

Penn receives orphan status in Europe for treatment of PNH

A Penn Medicine-developed drug has received orphan status in Europe this week for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), a rare, life-threatening disease that causes anemia due to destruction of red blood cells and thrombosis.

27 Aug 2014

FDA-approved drug eliminates immune cells that destroys hair follicles in people with alopecia areata

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) have identified the immune cells responsible for destroying hair follicles in people with alopecia areata, a common autoimmune disease that causes hair loss, and have tested an FDA-approved drug that eliminated these immune cells and restored hair growth in a small number of patients.

18 Aug 2014

Baxter International acquires drug candidate developed to treat sickle cell disease

A drug candidate developed by researchers at the NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences and its collaborators to treat sickle cell disease has been acquired by Baxter International's BioScience business.

11 Jul 2014

Research explores links between planet's health and human health

United Nations University will help pioneer a fresh trail in global health research, exploring links between the planet's health and human health at an institute in Kuala Lumpur generously supported by Malaysia.

17 Jun 2014

Alexion announces that FDA grants ODD to Soliris for Myasthenia Gravis treatment

Alexion Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:ALXN) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation (ODD) to Soliris® (eculizumab) for the treatment of patients with Myasthenia Gravis (MG), a rare, debilitating neurologic disorder caused by uncontrolled complement activation.