Prevention of red blood cell sickling in sickle cell disease
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The application of a reversible hypo-osmotic dialysis process in preventing the sickling of erythrocytes from patients homozygous for sickle cell disease
IRAS ID
253663
Contact name
Bridget E Bax
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
St. George's, University of London
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Sickle cell disease is a lifelong, inherited disorder that affects the red blood cells. Red blood cells contain haemoglobin, a iron-rich protein that enables red blood cells to carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. However, due to defect in the gene which codes for haemoglobin, patients with sickle cell disease produce haemoglobin with a different structure, and this causes the red blood cells to change shape or ‘sickle’. Sickled red blood cells are unable to move around in the blood as easily as normal shaped cells and can block blood vessels, resulting in tissue and organ damage and episodes of severe pain. The aim of this study is to investigate ways of reducing the amount of defective haemoglobin in the red blood cells of patients with sickle cell disease, with the aim of reducing the sickling of these cells. This process will happen outside the body after blood has been taken from the patient.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/NW/0757
Date of REC Opinion
13 Nov 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion