Rising hope for sickle cell carriers over gene editing therapy

For about two weeks that Abiodun , a 22-year-old sickle cell carrier, spent on the hospital bed when he had another round of the ‘usual’ crisis, his father and a few family members around him struggled to keep hope alive, mumbling to themselves even as they watched him shuttle between life and death in excruciating pain.

Ogbonna et al in an article published in the Pan-African Medical Journal in February 2022 said about 50 million people live with sickle cell disorder globally and that Nigeria remained the epicentre, with between four and six million people. The researchers added that every year, not less than 300,000 children are born with the disease and Nigeria accounts for 100,000 to 150,000 newborns.

In addition to the enormous pain, they experience stunted growth, delayed puberty, swollen hands and feet, and frequent infections, among others. In its article titled, ‘Genetic scissors: a tool for rewriting the code of life’, the organisers of the prize said, “Researchers are already performing clinical trials to investigate whether they can use CRISPR/Cas9 to treat blood diseases such as sickle cell anaemia and beta thalassemia, as well as inherited eye diseases.”

Nigeria Latest News, Nigeria Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Manufacturers must be creative in handling rising costThe Executive Director and Vice Chairman, Africa, Tropical General Investments Group, Farouk Gumel, has highlighted various strategies companies can adopt to lower production costs without compromising product quality.
Source: MobilePunch - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »

Registrars indicted over unclaimed dividends as figure rises by 94% in 24 years | The Guardian Nigeria NewsShareholders have lamented the rising unclaimed dividends in the capital market currently put at N190 billion, stating that unless the parties involved in the processing of the claims adopt robust technology infrastructure that would enable investors to process their unclaimed dividend at the comfort of their homes, the menace may not be eliminated in the capital market.
Source: GuardianNigeria - 🏆 1. / 94 Read more »

TV Masts, Cell Towers, Others To Attract VAT Charge From Sept 1– FIRSThe Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has said that 7.5 per cent value added tax (VAT) will be charged on items excluded from building from September 1,
Source: LeadershipNGA - 🏆 4. / 77 Read more »

Agricultural investment: Recovering Nigeria's missed opportunity, By Abubakar AdamuOn 1 March, 2017, the prospect of a groundbreaking agricultural investment of Saudi Arabia in Nigeria was met with enthusiasm and hope.
Source: PremiumTimesng - 🏆 3. / 78 Read more »