May 12, 2021
Kidney Transplant Disparities in Sickle Cell Disease
According to research performed at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland, patients with kidney failure secondary to sickle cell disease are less likely to receive kidney transplants than patients with chronic kidney disease from other causes, even when registered for a kidney transplant. Although patients with sickle...
New Drug Shows Promise for Sickle Cell Disease
IMR-687 is classified as a phosphodiesterase 9 (PDE9) inhibitor. By blocking selective phosphodiesterase inhibitors, PDE9s increase cellular adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cellular adenosine triphosphate (cATP), allowing cells to function in ways previously inhibited. Before clinical testing, IMR-687 was shown to reduce erythrocyte sickling in vitro. In patients treated with IMR-687, fetal hemoglobin levels increased when...
Curing Sickle Cell Disease by DNA Modification
Sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia are caused by gene mutations affecting hemoglobin. The former causes erythrocytes to assume a sickle shape, often causing deformed red blood cells to clog arteries. As a result, organs such as the lungs, heart, kidneys, and liver are deprived of oxygen, contributing to significant pain. Hemoglobin molecules in beta-thalassemia carry...