Her lecture, titled “Gene Therapy: The Promise of a Cure for Sickle Cell Disease,” will be held on Sept. 6, at the USA Health Strada Patient Care Center Conference Room on the first floor. Lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m. The presentation begins at noon.
According to Wilson, sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders. Healthy red blood cells are round, and they move through small blood vessels to carry oxygen to all parts of the body. In someone with SCD, the red blood cells become hard and sticky and look like a C-shaped farm tool called a “sickle.”
The sickle cells die early, which causes a constant shortage of red blood cells. When they travel through small blood vessels, they get stuck and clog blood flow. This can cause pain and other serious problems such as infection, acute chest syndrome and stroke. Sickle cell-related death among African American children younger than 4 years of age fell by 42 percent from 1999 to 2002, according to the Center for Disease Control. The drop coincided with the introduction in 2000 of a vaccine that protects against invasive pneumococcal disease.
During the lecture, Wilson will discuss a new approach to helping sickle cell patients – a new gene therapy that appears to offer the same benefits as a bone marrow transplant, without the risk of rejection.
The Med School Café lecture and lunch are provided free of charge, but reservations are required. For more information or to make reservations, call Kim Partridge at (251) 460-7770.
Med School Café is a free community lecture series sponsored by USA Health. Each month, faculty from the USA College of Medicine share their expertise on a specific medical condition, providing insight on the latest treatments available.
The USA Health Strada Patient Care Center is located at 1601 Center St. in Mobile.
