Clinical Trials

Bearers of the sickle cell allele (S) are currently eligible for blood donations in Belgium. As blood donors are not tested for this allele, their heterozygous status is unknown. However, guidelines recommend to transfuse sickle cell patients with blood that is negative for the 'S' hemoglobin. To the investigator's knowledge, no study has been conducted to evaluate the impact of transfusion with blood originating from heterozygous donors on the transfusion performance and the improvement of clinical status of the sickle cell disease patients.

Background:

Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder. People with this disease have a problem with their hemoglobin. That is a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen in the body. Some people with this disease are enrolled in research at NIH. Researchers want to learn more about the thoughts and opinions of those people. This may improve the way researchers explain clinical studies, risks, and benefits to people with the disease.

Objective:

To develop a clinical severity index that could prospectively identify sickle cell disease patients who were at high risk for a turbulent clinical course and a poor prognosis.

The "National Transfusion Treatment Survey in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD)" is a prospective longitudinal systemic study that was created in order to evaluate the therapeutic approach, mainly transfusional, in patients affected by SCD throughout Italy and to improve the quality of care and implement research.

The survey will evaluate all patients affected by different forms of sickle cell disease (HbS homozygosis, Thalassoso-drepanocytosis, HbS / HbC compound heterozygosis, other possible genetic compounds).

To more clearly ascertain the relationship between ocular manifestations of sickle cell disease and diabetes, specifically; whether the presence of sickle cell trait exacerbates the disease progression of diabetic retinopathy.

The Novel use Of Hydroxyurea in an African Region with Malaria (NOHARM) study is the first placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial of hydroxyurea treatment in a malaria endemic region. NOHARM has now achieved full enrollment; all children have completed the blinded portion of the protocol and are in the open-label study treatment portion.

The constitution of blood relies upon hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which stay in the bone marrow and differentiate to all lineages of peripheral blood cells. HSC transplantation is the only curative option currently available for sickle cell disease (SCD) patients either via allogeneic HSC transplantation or HSC-targeted gene therapy. Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF)- mobilized HSCs are frequently utilized in the adult setting of HSC transplantation because of the faster hematologic recovery as compared to bone marrow.

The main purpose of this study is to create a longitudinal cohort of those with Sickle Cell Trait (SCT) to better understand the hematologic phenotype for those that carry HbS, assess for differences in those with varying quantities of HbS and assess for potential clinical complications of SCT.

Background:

\- Many people with sickle cell disease have repeated episodes of severe pain that lasts for days, requiring hospital care. These episodes, called pain crises, may be caused by changes in blood flow. Researchers want to study blood flow in people with sickle cell disease who are having a pain crisis and compare it with their blood flow after the pain crisis has resolved. They also want to compare these measurements against blood flow in healthy people who do not have sickle cell disease.

Objectives:

This is a single center, open label Phase 1 clinical trial in normal adult subjects to assess safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of HBI-002, an orally administered liquid containing carbon monoxide (CO), with single ascending doses (SAD), followed by multiple dose with doses daily for 7 days.