What´s Sickle Cell Anemia?

Sickle cell anemia was first discovered in the year of 1910. A young man by the name Walter Clement Noel from the island of Grenada, studied in Chicago. He went to Dr. James B. Herrick, whom was a cardiologist, with symptoms of anemia, who assigned Dr. Ernest Irons to the case. There Dr. Irons noticed that Noel’s red blood cells were the shape of a sickle. Although sickle cell anemia has occurred in Africa for thousands of years, Dr. Herrick was the first to provide a formal description of sickle cell anemia leading the discovery of sickle cell anemia. (William P. Winter,n.a.) Thus leading to the current studies today. Approximately 70,000 to 100,00 Americans have sickle cell anemia. “There are certain ethnic groups like Hispanic-Americans
One which is the basic rule of inheritance. In Mendel’s idea of inheritance of where offspring inherit one genetic allele from each parent. He discovered this through his experimentation of breeding pea plants. This idea later contributes to how sickle cell disease can be later is passed down throughout the generations. Based on these individuals who have the sickle cell disease were homozygous for the sickle cell disease SS. On the other hand, individuals who have the homozygous recessive trait AA, do not have the sickle cell disease. Now as for individuals who have the sickle cell trait were those who were heterozygous alleles. (Science Clarified, N.A.) Understanding these concepts Malaria also had an impact on the frequency of the HbS allele in future generations. For these individuals who have the homozygous normal allele have been shown to be more prone to contract malaria in areas of malarial environments. Individuals who are heterozygous for the sickle cell allele are shown to be protected from malaria which is beneficial in malarial areas but can be at a disadvantage also.This trait can be helped with protecting from malaria, but they are also passing this trait on to the next and future generations. Individuals who had the sickle cell disease homozygous for having the sickle cell disease is often at a disadvantage in
One current technology used for treatment is stem cell transplant which involves replacing bone marrow affected by sickle cell anemia with healthy bone marrow from any donators. This procedure does call for many risk, since the body can reject the transplants leading to life-threatening complications. As we move on with technology there are also many experimental treatments such as gene therapy. Since sickle cell anemia was caused by a mutation in the DNA, so in order to try to cure it, researchers must find a way to bypass or fix this gene. Researchers are exploring whether inserting a normal gene into the bone marrow of people with sickle cell anemia will result in the production of normal hemoglobin. Scientists are also currently exploring the possibility of turning off the defective gene while reactivating another gene responsible for the production of fetal hemoglobin which is found in newborns. Trials using genes specifically for sickle cell have yet been done. (Mayo Clinic, 2016)
In conclusion understanding the basics of Mendel’s law of of inheritance has helped with the findings of sickle cell anemia and malaria.