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Sickle Cell Disease Research
Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells, causing them to contain an abnormal type of hemoglobin, hemoglobin* S. Sometimes these red blood cells become sickle-shaped (like a crescent). That can make it difficult for the cells to pass through small blood vessels. When sickle cells block small blood vessels, they can damage body tissue. Sickle cell disease occurs primarily among people of African, Hispanic, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Indian descent, but can affect people from other ethnicities and nationalities as well.
Providing care for approximately 1,400 children with sickle cell, Children’s National is among the largest pediatric sickle cell centers in the country. Children’s is active in NIH-sponsored national clinical research trials, regional consortia including the Howard University Sickle Cell Center and the National Institutes of Health, as well as local studies. The clinical research staff is experienced in conducting studies in the outpatient and inpatient settings, and uses the resources of the Clinical Research Center. Basic and translational research is conducted in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health. The research team is drawn from many specialties, bringing their expertise together to fight this complex disease.
Researchers at Children’s National Center for Genetic Medicine Research, Center for Cancer and Immunology Research, and Center for Molecular Physiology are studying how to prevent, treat, and reverse the damaging effects of sickle cell disease.
Children’s scientists actively research
- Use of non-related donor blood and marrow transplants as potential curative therapy
- Pain management in sickle cell disease patients
- Cerebrovascular damage in sickle cell
- Mechanism of stroke occurrence
- Prevention of learning disabilities
- Prevention of end organ damage in babies
- Genetic mechanisms of predisposition to auto- and allo-antibodies
- Pathogenesis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension
- Role of nitric oxide deficiency in sickle cell and whether improving nitric oxide will be useful
- Early detection of acute chest syndrome
- Improving methods for health education of children and families
- Early detection and treatment of lung problems
- Approaches to increase fetal hemoglobin
- Early detection and treatment of kidney problems
- Developing priorities using a community-based participatory research approach
Faculty who study Sickle cell disease
- Dorothy Bulas, MD
- Jessica Carpenter, MD
- Patrick Chang, MD
- Niti Dham, MD
- Penny Glass, PhD
- Helge Hartung, MD
- Lewis Hsu, MD, PhD (director)
- Yewande Johnson, MD
- Naynesh Kamani, MD
- Naomi Luban, MD
- Lori Luchtman-Jones, MD
- Emily Meier, MD
- Folasade Ogunlesi, MD
- Patricio Ray, MD
- Craig Sable, MD
- Jane Sande, MD
- Zohreh Tatari, MD
- Priya Vaidynathan, MD
- Stanislav Vumanovic, MD, PhD
Related links
For more information, contact Lewis Hsu, MD, PhD (director).
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