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Can Sickle Cell Anaemia Be Cured?

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Can Sickle Cell Anaemia be Cured Effectively in Adults?
1.1 Identification of a Biological Issue
Sickle cell anaemia is a disorder affecting the red blood cells and up to 100,000 people are estimated to have the disease in the USA (Centre for Disease Control). Due to a genetic mutation in the gene responsible for the production of haemoglobin (MayoClinic, 2014) the red blood cells, which are usually a biconcave disk in shape, become sickle (bent) shaped (Figure 1) and the haemoglobin that the red blood cells contain is defective. Haemoglobin is a protein that carries oxygen (which has bind to the haemoglobin) around the body from the lungs after gas exchange. Having defective haemoglobin, as is the case with sickle cell anaemia, means …show more content…

Figure 1 (Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt)
1.2 Description of a Biological Solution to the Issue Described
Sickle cell anaemia is most often treated with blood transfusions in the UK, where the blood volume is replaced by healthy donor blood. This provides short term treatment for sickle cell anaemia patients, giving them healthy red blood cells that distribute oxygen around the body well due to their normal haemoglobin content. However the patient 's stem cells in their bone marrow continue to make new, sickle red blood cells as the donor cells begin to die meaning eventually the defective cells will once again be in the blood causing symptoms. This means that blood transfusions are needed regularly which can have an impact on both the hospital and the patient. There are both advantages and disadvantages for regular blood transfusions as treatment for sickle cell anaemia.
On the one hand the patient 's risk of stroke and heart attack is reduced along with the reduction of symptoms, however on the other hand blood transfusions leave behind excess iron in the bloodstream and therefore with repeated transfusions this can have serious repercussions e.g. liver damage (NHS).
New methods for a complete cure of sickle cell disease have

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