Researchers reveal potential treatment for sickle cell disease

Ann Arbor, Mich. — A University of Michigan Health System laboratory study reveals a key trigger for producing normal red blood cells that could lead to a new treatment for those with sickle cell disease.

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Correcting sickle cell disease with stem cells

Using a patient’s own stem cells, researchers at Johns Hopkins have corrected the genetic alteration that causes sickle cell disease (SCD), a painful, disabling inherited blood disorder that affects mostly African-Americans. The corrected stem cells were coaxed into immature red blood cells in a test tube that then turned on a normal version of the gene.

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Parkinson’s drug could treat restless leg syndrome

AUGUSTA, Ga. – A drug prescribed for Parkinson’s disease may also treat restless leg syndrome without the adverse side effects of current therapies, Medical College of Georgia researchers say.

Rasagaline works by prolonging the effect of dopamine, a chemical that transmits signals between nerve cells in the brain. The cause of RLS is unknown, but research suggests a dopamine imbalance. Parkinson’s is caused by a dopamine insufficiency.

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Global map of the sickle cell gene supports ‘malaria hypothesis’

At a global scale, the sickle cell gene is most commonly found in areas with historically high levels of malaria, adding geographical support to the hypothesis that the gene, whilst potentially deadly, avoids disappearing through natural selection by providing protection against malaria.

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UM researcher identifies novel treatment for pain in sickle cell disease

Alternative approach found to alleviate pain using much smaller doses than traditional medication treatment

A University of Minnesota Medical School research team led by Kalpna Gupta, Ph.D., has discovered that cannibinoids offer a novel approach to ease the chronic and acute pain caused by sickle cell disease (SCD).

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Cholesterol-lowering drug shows promise against serious infections in sickle cell disease

Contact: Summer Freeman
summer.freeman@stjude.org
901-595-3061
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Read more

New use for statins in children with sickle cell disease?

Contact: Karen Honey
press_releases@the-jci.org
215-573-1850
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Statins are used to treat elevated levels of cholesterol and heart disease. They are among the most widely prescribed drugs in the world. A team of researchers, led by Elaine Tuomanen, at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, has now identified a potential new use for statins by studying a mouse model of sickle cell disease, the most common genetic disorder in the world.

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Blood stem-cell transplant regimen reverses sickle cell disease in adults

Contact: Arthur Stone
niddkmedia@mail.nih.gov
301-496-3583
NIH/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
A modified blood adult stem-cell transplant regimen has effectively reversed sickle cell disease in 9 of 10 adults who had been severely affected by the disease, according to results of a National Institutes of Health study in the Dec. 10 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The trial was conducted at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md., by NIH researchers at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

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‘Mini’ transplant may reverse severe sickle cell disease

Contact: Vanessa Wasta
wastava@jhmi.edu
410-955-1287
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Results of a preliminary study by scientists at the National Institutes of Health and Johns Hopkins show that “mini” stem cell transplantation may safely reverse severe sickle cell disease in adults.

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New approach to sickle-cell disease shows promise in mice

Contact: Rob Graham
rob.graham@childrens.harvard.edu
617-919-3110
Children’s Hospital Boston Read more

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