Sequence Replacement to Cure Sickle Cell Disease

Next-generation gene editing is already transforming the way scientists do research, but it also holds a great deal of promise for the cure of genetic diseases. One of the most tractable genetic diseases for gene editing is sickle cell disease (SCD). The molecular basis has been known since 1949, so it’s relatively well understood. Its root cause is in bone marrow stem cells (aka hematopoietic stem cells, or “HSCs”), which are easy to get to with editing reagents. It’s monogenic and recessive, so you only need to reverse one disease allele for a cure. Related content