FRIDAY, Jan. 12, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Sickle cell disease is one of many chronic health conditions that dramatically increases the risk of hospitalization and death in people infected by COVID-19. Unfortunately, folks with sickle cell disease are much less likely to have received the best protection available to themContinue Reading
FRIDAY, Dec. 8, 2023 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved two milestone gene therapies for sickle cell disease, including the first treatment ever approved that uses gene-editing technology. Casgevy, developed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals of Boston and CRISPR Therapeutics of Switzerland, is the first medicineContinue Reading
MONDAY, Nov. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Lab-grown blood vessels are providing new insight into how damage to the tiny vessels in the brain can cause them to leak, contributing to dementia and stroke. Even better, this research has identified a drug target that could plug these leaks and potentiallyContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 1, 2023 (HealthDay News) — A new gene therapy for sickle cell disease was deemed safe by a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel on Tuesday, paving the way for full approval by early December. The FDA had already decided that the therapy, known as exa-cel, was effective.Continue Reading
MONDAY, Oct. 30, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Patients with sickle cell disease may soon have two new treatments to try. On Tuesday, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory committee will weigh the merits of a new gene therapy for the painful, inherited condition, which typically strikes Black people. The agencyContinue Reading
TUESDAY, Sept. 12, 2023 (HealthDay News) — It’s possible that the cause of spontaneous, recurring brain hemorrhages can be passed through blood transfusion, researchers say. The likelihood of this happening is very slim, however. Still, “blood transfusions are relatively common, which makes possible negative effects an important public health issue,”Continue Reading
THURSDAY, Aug. 31, 2023 (HealthDay News) — A type of gene therapy that precisely “edits” a key bit of DNA might offer a new way to treat sickle cell disease — a painful inherited condition that largely strikes Black children and adults. That’s according to a new study in theContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 23, 2023 (HealthDay News) — When astronauts travel to space, the experience depletes their red blood cells and bone, according to a new study. Fortunately, it appears their bodies can eventually replenish them after they’ve returned to Earth, thanks to fat stored in the bone marrow. “We foundContinue Reading
FRIDAY, Aug. 18, 2023 (HealthDay News) – The 15th century prince who inspired the literary vampire Dracula may have had medical issues that caused him to cry tears of blood, according to researchers unearthing this ancient mystery. The prince, who was also a military leader, was known as Vlad III,Continue Reading
FRIDAY, June 30, 2023 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved a costly single-dose gene therapy for patients with severe hemophilia A, a life-threatening hereditary bleeding disorder. The treatment is not cheap: Roctavian will cost $2.9 million for a single infusion, the Associated Press reported.Continue Reading