Lesson 8 of 17
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Is There a Cure for Sickle Cell Disease?

SCFA_Coach October 13, 2023

Is There a Cure for Sickle Cell Disease?

To date, the only cure for SCD is a bone marrow or stem cell transplant.

A bone marrow or stem cell transplant is a procedure that takes healthy stem cells from a donor and puts them into someone whose bone marrow is not working properly. These healthy stem cells cause the bone marrow to make new, healthy cells.

Bone marrow or stem cell transplants are very risky, and can have serious side effects, including death. For the transplant to work, the bone marrow must be a close match.

The are exciting developments for a gene therapy that is still highly experimental and very expensive.  Watch for updates about it in some new lessons or blogs to be published by our experts next quarter.