When Dr. Ambroise Wonkam walked into a panel on medical genetics out of curiosity, he had no idea it would shape the course of his career. Born in Cameroon, Wonkam has dedicated his career to studying ...

How is it that you’re alive? It’s a question that we rarely ask ourselves—but it’s one that has a definite answer. We all know our heart pumps life-giving oxygen throughout our bodies. How does that ...

Sickle cell disease (SCD) can affect people of any ethnicity but is much more common among Africans and African Americans. Other ethnic groups with higher rates of SCD include Hispanic Americans from ...

People are often encouraged to “know their status,” however this healthy habit can be applied to more than just safe-sex practices. Although they are not the only community who suffers with sickle ...

Scientists have found a potential new gene variant target to treat sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder that affects about 300,000 people globally each year, with limited treatment options ...

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland is enrolling patients in an innovative clinical trial that seeks to cure sickle cell disease. The trial is the first in the U.S. to apply non-viral CRISPR-Cas9 ...

You might have wondered why some people with sickle cell disease seem to live relatively normal lives while others spend half their time in the hospital writhing in agony from pain crises. It’s the ...

Contrary to misconceptions among medical professionals and patients alike, individuals born with sickle cell trait (SCT) show no risk of experiencing the acute pain crises known to occur with sickle ...

This article is part of “Innovations In: Sickle Cell Disease,” an editorially independent special report that was produced with financial support from Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Sickle cell disease was ...

So far in 2025, the Trump administration has cut more than $1 billion in NIH grants. That includes a study on sickle cell disease, a blood disorder that affects roughly 100,000 people in the U.S.