Adios, sickle cell anemia

Does that sound cavalier? Sure, not every child with sickle cell anemia will be able to be treated with stem cells from an unaffected sibling’s umbilical cord blood, but the results of this study are really impressive. We are on our way to wiping out, in many cases, the debilitating effects of what is known as the “suffering disease”. Read more:

Sibling Umbilical Blood Transplant Cures Sickle-Cell Kids

Elizabeth Fernandez, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, September 21, 2007

Children with sickle cell disease were cured following umbilical cord blood transplants from their siblings, according to findings reported Thursday in Washington, D.C., by doctors from Children’s Hospital Oakland.

Of 43 youths across the country who received transplants from compatible siblings, 90 percent were cured, said blood specialist Dr. Bertram Lubin, senior vice president of research at Children’s Hospital.

The children in the study ranged in age from 2 to 15. They suffered from either sickle cell disease or thalassemia. About 1,000 babies are born annually in the United States with sickle cell, an inherited disorder affecting red blood cells. Thalassemia, a hemoglobin abnormality, causes anemia that can range from mild to severe. According to estimates, about 1,000 people in the United States have the condition.

“It’s a remarkable thing being able to cure a genetic disease,” said Lubin. “These kids have a new life.” continue

See also, Adios, sickle cell anemia, part two