Miriam Stoppard shares groundbreaking research from King’s College London which could help develop new drugs for this serious condition, which affects the blood
We know that women with sickle cell disease suffer milder symptoms than men, so could this difference hold the key to developing more effective treatments?
Researchers at King’s College London think so. Working in tandem with Muhimbili University in Tanzania, they analysed the differences between male and female patients’ haemoglobin, the red pigment in red blood cells that transports oxygen around the body.
Sickle cell disease i s the name given to a group of diseases where red blood cells are rigid and abnormally shaped. This is due to the cells containing an abnormal version of haemoglobin.
As a result of their shape and rigidity, they have a shorter lifespan and are more likely to block blood vessels, causing damage and inflammation.