— Marion Renault, AP
Scientists are seeing promising early results from the first studies testing gene editing for painful, inherited blood disorders that plague millions worldwide, especially Black people.
Doctors hope the one-time treatment, which involves permanently altering DNA in blood cells with a tool called CRISPR, may treat and possibly cure sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia.
Partial results were presented Saturday at an American Society of Hematology conference and some were published by the New England Journal of Medicine.
Doctors described 10 patients who are at least several months removed from their treatment. All no longer need regular blood transfusions and are free from pain crises that plagued their lives before.
Featured Image, This July 2019 image provided by the Sarah Cannon Research Institute shows Victoria Gray on her infusion day during a gene editing trial for sickle cell disease at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute and The Children’s Hospital At TriStar Centennial in Nashville. Since her treatment, Gray has weaned herself from pain medications she depended on to manage her symptoms. (Anthem Pictures/Sarah Cannon Research Institute via AP)
Full Article @ AP