Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle-cell disease, or sickle-cell anaemia (or drepanocytosis), is a life-long blood disorder characterized by red blood cells that assume an abnormal, rigid, sickle shape. Sickling decreases the cells' flexibility and results in a risk of various complications.

Understanding Sickle Cell Disease

World Sickle Cell Day is June 19 and was created by the United Nations in 2006 to raise global awareness for sickle cell disease as a public health problem. Sickle cell disease is an extremely debilitating medical condition.

What is Sickle-Cell Disease?

Sickle-Cell Disease Classification

Sickle Cell Disease Diagnosis

Sickle-Cell Disease Pathophysiology

Sickle-Cell Disease Genetics

Sickle-Cell Disease Treatment

Sickle-Cell Disease History

Sickle Cell Disease Carriers

Sickle-Cell Disease Symptoms

Latest Sickle Cell Disease News and Research

Differences in immune response to SARS-CoV-2 determine disease severity, study finds

Researchers investigate host responses to SARS-CoV-2, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and influenza virus (IV) in the nasal mucosa in children and adults.

2 Feb 2021

Study explains why people of African descent are less likely to find bone marrow donors

A paper by a multidisciplinary team of scientists affiliated with various Brazilian institutions, including the University of São Paulo (USP) and the National Cancer Institute (INCA), shows that people of African descent are less likely to find a donor in the National Register of Voluntary Bone Marrow Donors (REDOME) than people with predominantly European ancestry.

1 Feb 2021

Enriched diet and companionship can reduce pain in mice with sickle cell disease

Researchers from the University of California, Irvine and the University of Minnesota have found that an enriched diet and companionship can reduce pain in mice with sickle cell disease by increasing serotonin.

1 Feb 2021

Researchers identify genetic risk factors contributing to pneumonia susceptibility and severity

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and colleagues have identified genetic factors that increase the risk for developing pneumonia and its severe, life-threatening consequences.

21 Jan 2021

New taxonomic classification of non-skeletal rare congenital disorders with impact on bone physiology

Thanks to major progress in the understanding and management of rare congenital diseases and syndromes, many patients with these rare disorders are now living longer lives.

13 Jan 2021

New toolkit aims to maximize high-quality collection of thrombosis data in COVID-19 clinical studies

The ASH Research Collaborative and the International Society of Haemostasis and Thrombosis, two organizations with multidisciplinary expertise in blood clotting and bleeding disorders, have developed a toolkit to help clinical researchers from across medical disciplines design clinical trials that further the understanding of blood clotting events associated with COVID-19.

17 Dec 2020

Detailed simulations reveal new information on sickle cell disease

Although there has yet to be a cure for sickle cell disease, researchers recently created detailed simulations on the Comet system at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) showing how these stiff red blood cells flow through blood vessels, deforming and colliding along the way.

11 Dec 2020

New diagnostic technology accurately tests for anemia, sickle cell disease

Researchers from Case Western Reserve University presented research today in which Hemex Health's Gazelle platform diagnostic technology successfully tested 46 patients with 100% sensitivity and over 92.3% specificity for anemia and with 100% accuracy for hemoglobin variants.

7 Dec 2020

Experimental stem cell gene therapy may give a new lease of life for patient with sickle cell disease

"But it's a marathon whereas you keep going, the trail gets rockier and then you lose your shoes," the 27-year-old said. "It gets harder as you get older. Things start to fail and all you can think about is how much worse it's going to get down the road."

1 Dec 2020

UTHSC and Regeneron partner to advance precision medicine

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center has entered into an agreement with the Regeneron Genetics Center, a subsidiary of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., for the company to sequence DNA that has been voluntarily collected and stored as part of a biorepository initiative UTHSC is building in collaboration with its partner teaching hospitals.

18 Nov 2020

New technology precisely diagnoses sickle cell disease in a minute

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have developed a new way to diagnose diseases of the blood like sickle cell disease with sensitivity and precision and in only one minute.

15 Oct 2020

Study may provide the basis for better diagnostic, therapeutic approaches to blood diseases

The hemoglobin in the red blood cells ensures that our body cells receive sufficient oxygen. When the blood pigment is broken down, "heme" is produced, which in turn can influence the protein cocktail in the blood.

5 Sep 2020

Majority of U.S. COVID-19 fatalities had underlying medical conditions

Early on in the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, there was little data on the virus and how it affects the body. As the virus spread across the globe, data showed that some people were at a higher risk of developing severe disease and dying from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

31 Aug 2020

New York Blood Center receives $15.6 million NIH grant for sickle cell transfusion research

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health has awarded a five-year grant of $15.6 million to Karina Yazdanbakhsh, PhD, of New York Blood Center’s Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, to lead a collaborative research program studying the consequences of transfusions in patients with sickle cell disease and developing strategies to optimize transfusion management for this patient group.

21 Aug 2020

New research project receives federal funding to expand treatment options for sickle cell patients

A new research project that could impact and expand the discovery of new treatment options for sickle cell patients has received significant federal funding.

5 Aug 2020

Cannabis could be a potentially effective treatment for sickle cell disease pain

Cannabis appears to be a safe and potentially effective treatment for the chronic pain that afflicts people with sickle cell disease, according to a new clinical trial co-led by University of California, Irvine researcher Kalpna Gupta and Dr. Donald Abrams of UC San Francisco. The findings appear in JAMA Network Open.

17 Jul 2020

PCORI approves up to $50 million in funding for new projects to address COVID-19

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Board of Governors today, building on its rapid response to the COVID-19 health crisis, approved allocating up to $50 million in additional funding for new projects in PCORI's COVID-19 funding opportunities, as well as enhancements to existing PCORI-funded studies.

23 Jun 2020

Globally, 350 million could be at risk of severe COVID-19 and hospitalization

Now, a new study shows that one in five individuals is at risk of getting a severe case of COVID-19 due to the presence of underlying disease. The study appeared in the latest issue of The Lancet Global Health this week.

17 Jun 2020

Study provides genetic explanation behind the sex bias observed in certain diseases

Some diseases exhibit a clear sex bias, occurring more often, hitting harder or eliciting different symptoms in men or women.

12 May 2020

Higher prevalence of anxiety disorders in youth with chronic medical conditions

Youth who report one of the seven chronic medical conditions (CMCs), including asthma, congenital heart disease, diabetes, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and sickle cell disease, are often diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.

4 May 2020

Sickle Cell Disease

Overview

What is Sickle-Cell Disease?

Sickle-Cell Disease Classification

Sickle Cell Disease Diagnosis

Feature Articles

Sickle-Cell Disease Pathophysiology

Sickle-Cell Disease Genetics

Sickle-Cell Disease Treatment

Sickle-Cell Disease History

Sickle Cell Disease Carriers

Sickle-Cell Disease Symptoms

Latest Sickle Cell Disease News and Research

Differences in immune response to SARS-CoV-2 determine disease severity, study finds

Study explains why people of African descent are less likely to find bone marrow donors

Enriched diet and companionship can reduce pain in mice with sickle cell disease

Researchers identify genetic risk factors contributing to pneumonia susceptibility and severity

New taxonomic classification of non-skeletal rare congenital disorders with impact on bone physiology

New toolkit aims to maximize high-quality collection of thrombosis data in COVID-19 clinical studies

Detailed simulations reveal new information on sickle cell disease

New diagnostic technology accurately tests for anemia, sickle cell disease

Experimental stem cell gene therapy may give a new lease of life for patient with sickle cell disease

UTHSC and Regeneron partner to advance precision medicine

New technology precisely diagnoses sickle cell disease in a minute

Study may provide the basis for better diagnostic, therapeutic approaches to blood diseases

Majority of U.S. COVID-19 fatalities had underlying medical conditions

New York Blood Center receives $15.6 million NIH grant for sickle cell transfusion research

New research project receives federal funding to expand treatment options for sickle cell patients

Cannabis could be a potentially effective treatment for sickle cell disease pain

PCORI approves up to $50 million in funding for new projects to address COVID-19

Globally, 350 million could be at risk of severe COVID-19 and hospitalization

Study provides genetic explanation behind the sex bias observed in certain diseases

Higher prevalence of anxiety disorders in youth with chronic medical conditions

What makes viruses infectious?

Disinfectants could be helping bacteria to become resistant

Climate change may have contributed to the COVID-19 pandemic

Sickle Cell Disease

Overview

Feature Articles

Sickle-Cell Disease Pathophysiology

Sickle-Cell Disease Genetics

Sickle-Cell Disease Treatment

Sickle-Cell Disease History

Sickle Cell Disease Carriers

Sickle-Cell Disease Symptoms

Latest Sickle Cell Disease News and Research

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