Discussion Forums > Working Towards a Cure

Research Priorities for Thalassemia

(1/5) > >>

Andy Battaglia:
What should be the priorities for research about thalassemia and its treatments?

Each member may vote for up to three items in this poll, and you can also change your vote if you change your mind.

If you have issues not included in the poll, please add them as a reply.




Thanks go to Sally for the idea for this poll.

§ãJ¡Ð ساجد:
Hi,
    I would have selected BMT instead of this other option, but I have heard that the stem cells taken from the Umbellical Cord (a.k.a Cord Blood) is less prone to rejection than the ones taken from the Bone Marrow. So I would prefer more research to be in Cord Blood department as this process is painless for the Donor than BMT.

Sajid

§ãJ¡Ð ساجد:
Well, I can see that cord blood is now in the poll too. I will re cast my vote so that the statistics make more sense and remove my vote from "others"

mustho:
I think future of thalassemia research should focus more on to develop iron chelation, as gene therapy and BMT are not that easy things to do. Iron chelation from inside red blood cells may be the future treatment of thalassemia and that may even decline need of regular blood transfusions. Pathology of thalassemia is inbalance of globin chains inside red blood cells, but medical science have not fully explained the iron mediated cell damage due to iron iside cells. I think if we can successfully reach to solve this problem may be the treatment of thalassemia without transfusion.

Poirot:

--- Quote from: mustho on April 25, 2006, 06:38:08 AM --- Pathology of thalassemia is inbalance of globin chains inside red blood cells, but medical science have not fully explained the iron mediated cell damage due to iron iside cells. I think if we can successfully reach to solve this problem may be the treatment of thalassemia without transfusion.

--- End quote ---

Hi,

Could you explain this in a little bit more detail?

I thought, by definition, Beta Thal Majors, either do not produce RBCs, or enough of them to maintain their HB levels. And, RBCs have a natural life, to boot. So, how does "intra-cell" chelation work in maintaining HB or doing away with transfusions? And, how you retain the oxygen carrying capacities of the RBCs if you are going to do away with the iron?

Thanks

Poirot

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page