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Sickle Cell Disease
Dr. Oyebola in the lab.
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Research Feature
A fellow’s mission: Strengthen sickle cell research in Africa
A conversation with Dr. Kolapo Oyebola It is not lost on Kolapo Oyebola, Ph.D., that half the sickle cell disease cases worldwide can be found in his native Nigeria. This tragic fact, said the National Institutes of Health (NIH) postdoctoral fellow, has long been top of mind—and he is bent on doing something about it. Something big. He wants to...
Newborn blood spot (heel prick) test (the Guthrie' test). A physician performing the pinprick puncture in one heel of a newborn to collect their blood to screen for inborn errors of metabolism.
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Research Feature
Rapid Result Test On Track to Transform Sickle Cell Disease Screening for Millions
Soon after birth, a baby in the United States is tested for sickle cell disease, the often-devastating genetic blood disorder affecting more than 100,000 Americans and 20 million of people worldwide. If positive, that newborn typically begins a course of treatment that can greatly prolong life and help stave off complications of the disease. But in...
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Media Availability
NIH researcher presents encouraging results for gene therapy for severe sickle cell disease
WHAT: A scientist from the National Institutes of Health will present promising, early results from a human clinical trial testing a novel gene replacement therapy in people with severe sickle cell disease. Preliminary findings suggest that the approach has an acceptable level of safety and might help patients consistently produce normal red blood...
Microscopic image of sickle cell
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Research Features
NHLBI research grants advance sickle cell treatment from lab to patients
More than 100,000 people in the United States and an estimated 20 million worldwide suffer from sickle cell disease, a group of inherited, often life-threatening blood disorders that wreak havoc on the body. Mainly affecting African-Americans, Hispanics and Asians, the disease is caused by a mutation in the gene that makes oxygen-carrying...
Cure Sickle Cell.
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Research Feature
The Cure Sickle Cell Initiative: A Q&A with Dr. W. Keith Hoots, Director of the NHLBI Division of Blood Diseases and Resources
When the NHLBI announced the launch of the Cure Sickle Cell Initiative on September 13, many in the sickle cell disease community responded with enthusiasm. Patients, family members, and advocates took to social media and other channels to say they are ready to do their part, starting with spreading the news about the initiative to their neighbors,...
Text logo of Cure Sickle Cell
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News Release
NIH launches initiative to accelerate genetic therapies to cure sickle cell disease
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) today announced the launch of a new initiative to help speed the development of cures for sickle cell disease, a group of inherited blood disorders affecting at least 100,000 people in the United States and 20 million worldwide. The Cure Sickle Cell Initiative will take advantage of the latest genetic...
African american patient in pain with female nurse
NHLBI funding leads to promising drug candidate to prevent sickle cell pain
Pain is one of the unfortunate hallmarks of sickle cell disease, often growing in intensity as patients age. It is a leading cause of emergency room visits and hospitalizations among people with the disease, and the frequency of those pain-related hospital admissions is a strong predictor of premature death. Researchers have tried for years to find...