New sickle cell treatment sparks feelings of hope and some hesitancy among Black patients

By Claretta Bellamy The Food and Drug Administration must decide by Friday whether to approve a new gene-editing therapy to treat sickle cell disease, a debilitating blood disorder that affects at least 100,000 Americans, most of whom are Black. The treatment, called exa-cel, would be the first approved medicine in the U.S. to use the groundbreaking gene-editing tool CRISPR to alter DNA. The new therapy, from Vertex Pharmaceuticals and CRISPR Therapeutics, is, experts say, a stunning advancement in medicine. The treatment, however, also sparks mixed feelings among both Black sickle cell patients and doctors, who are concerned about potential side effects, costs and The post New sickle cell treatment sparks feelings of hope and some hesitancy among Black patients appeared first on HBCU News.

New sickle cell treatment sparks feelings of hope and some hesitancy among Black patients

By Claretta Bellamy The Food and Drug Administration must decide by Friday whether to approve a new gene-editing therapy to treat sickle cell disease, a debilitating blood disorder that affects at least 100,000 Americans, most of whom are Black. The treatment, called exa-cel, would be the first approved medicine in the U.S. to use the groundbreaking gene-editing tool CRISPR to alter DNA. The new therapy, from Vertex Pharmaceuticals and CRISPR Therapeutics, is, experts say, a stunning advancement in medicine. The treatment, however, also sparks mixed feelings among both Black sickle cell patients and doctors, who are concerned about potential side effects, costs and

The post New sickle cell treatment sparks feelings of hope and some hesitancy among Black patients appeared first on HBCU News.