Clinical Trials

Do you have sickle cell disease or want to help people who have the condition? Participants in this study will give blood samples to help researchers evaluate how long red blood cells (RBCs) live. In people who have sickle cell disease, some RBCs are abnormal and die early, leaving a shortage of healthy RBCs to carry oxygen to the body. To participate in this study, you must be 18 years or older and currently have sickle cell disease or were cured with a bone marrow transplant, have the sickle cell trait, or be a healthy volunteer without the disease or trait. This study is located at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Do you or your child have sickle cell disease and a relative willing to donate stem cells? This study is giving a second blood stem cell transplant to people with sickle cell disease who have had their disease return after one stem cell transplant. To participate in this study, you must be 4 years old or older, have sickle cell disease, and have had your disease return after receiving a blood stem cell transplant. You must also have a relative who is older than 2 years and can donate stem cells via a blood draw. This study takes place in Bethesda, Maryland.

Do you or your child have sickle cell disease or sickle cell trait? This study is interested in understanding pain crises and lung complications that occur in sickle cell disease patients and patients who have other red blood cell disorders. To participate in this study, you must be at least 2 years old with known or suspected sickle cell disease, sickle cell trait, or other red blood cell disorders. Participants will have a physical exam and receive standard medical care for sickle cell disease, including routine follow-up tests and procedures. This study is located in Washington, D.C., and Bethesda, Maryland.

Are you pregnant and willing to donate umbilical cord blood to support future sickle cell disease therapies? This study seeks to determine the best way to collect, store, and handle blood from newborns to help researchers improve future sickle cell disease therapies. To participate in this study, you must be pregnant, 45 years old or younger, and willing to donate umbilical cord blood from your newborn. Newborns may be healthy or at risk for sickle cell disease or sickle cell trait. This study is located in Bethesda, Maryland.

Are you an adult willing to give blood samples? This study investigates ways to prevent blood clotting in people with sickle cell disease. In this population, blood clotting is the most common cause of vascular death after heart attack and stroke. Scientists are studying the blood of people with sickle cell disease and comparing it with the blood of people without sickle cell disease over 2 years. To participate in this study, you must be between the ages of 18 and 80 years old and willing to participate for up to 2 years. This study takes place in Bethesda, Maryland.

Are you an adult with sickle cell disease who’s recently had a vaso-occlusive episode? This study investigates better ways for emergency departments (EDs) to manage vaso-occlusive episodes, or pain crises, in people with sickle cell disease. This study is incorporating “Individualized Pain Plans” into patients’ electronic health records to allow for faster and more accurate treatment in the ED. To participate in this study, you must be between the ages of 18 and 45 and have sickle cell disease. You must also have had at least one visit to a participating ED in the past 90 days due to pain from a vaso-occlusive episode and at least one visit at the study site sickle cell disease clinic within the past 12 months. This study takes place in multiple locations in the United States.

Do you or a relative have sickle cell disease and are interested in a new stem cell transplant procedure? This study aims to see if a new procedure is effective, safe, and well tolerated in people with sickle cell disease. To participate in this study, you must be at least 18 years old with sickle cell disease and have a relative who is a haploidentical match, which is a half-matched donor (e.g., mother, father, or child). This study is located at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Are you an adult with sickle cell disease? This study aims to determine whether monthly exchange blood transfusions (removing blood and replacing it with transfused red blood cells) can improve health and prevent or reduce the number of pain crises. To participate in this study, you must be at least 18 years old, have sickle cell disease, and have not been on a chronic exchange transfusion program for at least 2 months. This study is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Do you or your child have sickle cell disease and have a stem cell donor? This study is exploring how to improve bone marrow transplant procedures so the body better accepts donor stem cells. Participants in this study must be at least 4 years old. This study is located in Bethesda, Maryland.

Are you an adult of African descent who hasn’t had a recent transfusion and doesn’t have a known pyruvate kinase deficiency? This study investigates how the PKLR gene affects the function of red blood cells and contributes to sickle cell disease. The PKLR gene helps make a protein called pyruvate kinase that is necessary for red blood cells to function properly. To participate in this study, you must be between 18 and 80 years old, with or without sickle cell disease. This study takes place in Bethesda, Maryland.