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Sickle cell disease is a group of blood disorders that affects the hemoglobin in red blood cells. Normal red blood cells are round and flexible. In people with sickle cell disease, a change in hemoglobin causes the red blood cells to become hard, sticky, and shaped like a banana (sickle-shaped).
Sickle cell disease is inherited or passed down in families. About 1 out of 365 Black babies born in the United States has sickle cell disease. It can occur in all races but is most common in people whose ancestors come from Sub-Saharan Africa; Central, South America, and the Caribbean; Middle Eastern countries; India; and Mediterranean countries.
Learn more about sickle cell disease on the Together by St. Jude™ online resource.
Patients with sickle cell disease need lifelong medical care. Treatments for sickle cell disease include:
Researchers are also studying how new gene therapies may be used to treat sickle cell disease.
St. Jude offers clinical trials and cancer research studies for children, teens, and young adults with sickle cell disease.
Study goal:
The main goal of this study is to see if a single dose of exa-cel allows your child’s body to increase the amount of hemoglobin F while reducing the painful effects of sickle cell disease.
Age:
2 to 11 years old
Study goal:
The purpose of this research study is to collect data on sickle cell disease participants from birth to end of life. With these data, researchers will better understand problems caused by sickle cell disease both in children and in adults.
Study goal:
The main goal of this study is to find out what a successful health care transition looks like and to look at connections between health care transition and factors such as hospitalizations, patients’ disease knowledge and general adjustment. Researchers also want to know how these factors change over time.
Age:
16 to 20 years old
Study goal:
The main goal of this study is to see if a single dose of BEAM-101 allows your body to increase the amount of hemoglobin F while reducing the painful effects of sickle cell disease.
Age:
18 to 35 years old
Study goal:
The main goal of this clinical trial is to find out how well virtual reality therapy lessens acute pain in sickle cell patients.
Age:
Between 6 and 25 years old
Study goal:
The main goal of this trial is to collect DNA from individuals with non-cancerous blood diseases and their family members. Researchers will use the DNA to study how genes cause and influence these diseases. All research data will be confidential.
Study goal:
This study will help us find out how to make the intervention program better and test it with a larger group of caregivers and their children.
Age:
4–6
Study goal:
To see if motixafortide is safe and helps increase collection of stem cells in adults with sickle cell disease. Learn more about the study.
Age:
Age 18 and older
Study goal:
To find out how gene therapy and bone marrow transplant affect the brain function of patients with sickle cell disease
Age:
8–25 years old
Study goal:
To study the safety and use of red blood cells prepared with the INTERCEPT® Blood System for Red Blood Cells as compared with red blood cells that are not prepared with this system.
Age:
Ages 4 and up
St. Jude provides the highest quality of care for patients with sickle cell disease:
The St. Jude Hematology Program offers e-learning modules and other ways to obtain literature about sickle cell disease and other hematological disorders. Learn more.
Patients accepted to St. Jude must have a disease we treat and must be referred by a physician or other qualified medical professional. We accept most patients based on their ability to enroll in an open clinical trial.
Call: 1-888-226-4343 (toll-free) or 901-595-4055 (local) | Fax: 901-595-4011 | Email: referralinfo@stjude.org | 24-hour pager: 1-800-349-4334