Sickle Cell

• The FDA granted accelerated approval to a CRISPR-based gene therapy for severe sickle cell disease on April 20, marking the first approved genetic treatment editing patient blood cells to produce functional hemoglobin. • Clinical trials demonstrated 95% of treated patients experienced elimination or near-elimination of vaso-occlusive crises within 12 months, with durable responses observed for over two years post-treatment. • The therapy addresses a disease affecting approximately 100,000 Americans, primarily of African descent, offering potential cure for patients previously reliant on pain management and blood transfusions.

• Elijah Dottery, diagnosed with sickle cell anemia as a baby, became the first U-M patient to receive the newly FDA-approved stem cell therapy. • The treatment uses patient's own stem cells edited via CRISPR to produce functional hemoglobin, administered at Michigan Medicine. • This breakthrough matters for over 100,000 U.S. sickle cell patients, offering potential cure where prior therapies only managed symptoms.

• NIH awarded $500 million in grants on April 7, 2026, to 15 US institutions for CRISPR-based gene therapies addressing 100,000 Americans with sickle cell disease. • Phase 2 trials at Boston Children's show 94% pain crisis reduction; total funding supports 200 patients over five years. • Initiative responds to 17% US mortality drop goal by 2030; 'Breakthrough for underserved communities,' per NIH Director.