Gene may open door for new sickle cell therapies

piggy submitted, created time 1 month 1 day (www.reuters.com)

U.S. researchers have discovered a gene switch that could lead to better treatments for sickle cell disease and thalassemia, two inherited blood disorders that affect millions of people, they said on Thursday.

Learning how to activate this switch might help doctors direct the body to make healthier blood cells -- in this case, replicating conditions found in the womb.
People with these blood disorders either make too little or abnormal forms of hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that is vital for carrying oxygen to the body's tissues

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Blood tests may show inherited diseases in fetuses

sea-maid submitted, created time 1 month 1 week (www.reuters.com)

Doctors may soon be able to diagnose inherited diseases such as cystic fibrosis, thalassaemia and sickle cell anemia in fetuses by simply testing a blood sample taken from the mother.

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