Sickle cell Anemia: Finding the right cure

Abstract

Sickle cell disease is a debilitating genetic mutagenic disease that affects 100,000 people worldwide. Several breakthroughs have been made through the advancement of technology and science. Blood transfusions, current medication, fetal hemoglobin have been discovered to help with the symptoms. Bone marrow transplants and the use of stem cells have cured people but are of high risk because of either infection or incompatibility.   A definitive cure with little or no risk is necessary to combat this disease in a grandiose way. Granted, there have been people cured but the current treatments are not safe and reliable. Encouraging recent break-trough’s have been made in the area of gene therapy but just like any new experimental procedures protocol must be followed to bring them into fruition. Ultimately gene therapy is going to be the permanent cure fixing the problem at the source, the genes.