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  Patient Recruitment - Sickle Cell Anemia
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Research Studies        
Collection and Storage of Umbilical Cord Blood for Sickle Cell Disease   Natural History of Sickle Cell Disease   Pulmonary Hypertension Research Screening Study  
Inhaled Nitric Oxide and Sildenafil Study   Niacin Therapy in Sickle Cell Disease   Stem Cell Transplant for Sickle Cell Anemia

Sickle Cell Anemia Research Study

Collection and Storage of Umbilical Cord Blood for Sickle Cell Disease

If you are pregnant and expecting a baby that may have sickle cell disease you might be interested in our research study. We are collecting umbilical cord blood from newborns that may have sickle cell disease and we are freezing the hematopoietic stem cells that are in the cord blood. Hematopoietic stem cells are used in transplant treatment of sickle cell disease; the more cells the doctors use the better the outcome. The goal of our research is to come up with the best ways to harvest, freeze and thaw the stem cells from the umbilical cord blood so when it comes time to use the stem cells for treatment there will be a lot of high quality cells to use.

To be eligible for this program the pregnant mother must be between the ages of 18 - 45 and she must plan to deliver her infant at a hospital in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The pregnant mother needs to attend a meeting with the nurse coordinator in order to go over the program and give consent before labor begins. There is no cost to the family or their insurance carrier for this program.

For further information please contact the research nurse coordinator at
Office phone: 301-594-8381
Fax: 301-594-9153


 
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Sickle Cell Anemia Research Study

Inhaled Nitric Oxide and Sildenafil Study

Individuals who have sickle cell disease and pulmonary hypertension (increased blood pressure in the lungs) sometimes have more complications (shortness of breath, pain crises, pneumonia, and death). Because of this increased risk, this clinical trial will evaluate if experimental treatments for high blood pressure in the lungs can lower pressures in the lungs and reduce the likelihood of complications. The study has three parts.

The first part involves a thorough screening of your heart and lungs. These tests will be performed on an outpatient or inpatient basis. The second part is specialized testing at the Clinical Center, during which blood pressure in the blood vessels going to your lungs (pulmonary artery) will be measured. The third part of the study is for experimental treament, during which the drug sildenafil will be combined with inhaled nitric oxide gas for 6 weeks. This can be done as either an inpatient or outpatient and you must have been taking sildenafil for 3 months and still have high blood pressure in the lungs.

For more information, please contact study coordinators, Lori Hunter or Wynona Coles at 301-435-2345 or email VascularStudy@nhlbi.nih.gov
 
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Sickle Cell Anemia Research Study

Natural History of Sickle Cell Disease

This research protocol allows us to evaluate and treat you because you have sickle cell disease, sickle cell trait, or another anemia or red blood cell disorder such as thalassemia. This will help us gain more understanding of your disease, painful attacks and lung complications often associated with these anemias. You will receive standard medical care for your blood disease and its complications. This means that you will not receive experimental treatment under this protocol.

Your evaluation may also provide information indicating that you are elgible for another protocol at the NIH. If so the other protocol will be discussed with you. You are under no obligation to participate. This study enrolls individuals ages 5 and over.

Please contact our research study nurse at 301-435-2345 or email VascularStudy@nhlbi.nih.gov
 
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Sickle Cell Anemia Research Study

Niacin Therapy in Sickle Cell Disease

Niacin is a vitamin that has been shown to improve blood flow in people without sickle cell disease. This study will test whether this is also true in patients with sickle cell disease. In sickle cell disease, abnormal hemoglobin called sickle hemoglobin can interfere with blood flow to cause the symptoms of your disease.
You may be eligible to participate if you are a male or female 18 years of age or older and have sickle cell disease and certain laboratory findings that indicate possible blood flow abnormalities.

For more information please contact Amy Chi at 301-435-2345 or email BloodStudy@nhlbi.nih.gov
 
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Sickle Cell Anemia Research Study

Pulmonary Hypertension Research Screening Study

Researchers at the NIH invite you to take part in a study that will help us learn how often people with sickle cell anemia develop a complication called pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary hypertension is a serious disease in which blood pressure in the artery to the lungs is elevated.

You are eligible to participate if you are 18 years of age or older and have sickle cell disease. This study consists of an initial evaluation (including a physical exam, blood tests, and an echocardiogram), a follow-up telephone interview every year after the initial echocardiogram, and a repeat echocardiogram and blood tests approximately two years after the first. There is no cost to participate.

Please contact the study coordinator at 301-402-2104 for more information or email VascularStudy@nhlbi.nih.gov
 
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Sickle Cell Anemia Research Study

Stem Cell Transplant for Sickle Cell Anemia

If you (or someone you know) is between the ages of 16-65 years and have been diagnosed with sickle cell anemia, you may be eligible for a stem cell transplantation procedure at the Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Under evaluation is the use of low-dose radiation and novel methods of transplant preparation and post transplant therapy to reduce the risk of graft-versus-host disease.

You must have an HLA-matched family member to participate. We will do the blood testing free of charge to see if your family member is a match. We pay for all medical costs related to the transplant procedure. You must be available to live near NIH for approximately four months. We also provide a small daily allowance to help with living expenses while you are on the study and living away from home.

For more information please contact our research coordinator at (301) 402-3087 or by email at BloodStudy@nhlbi.nih.gov

 
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