Marrow transplants can reverse adult sickle cell

This June 2014 image provided by the National Institutes of Health, shows red blood cells in a patient with sickle cell disease at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md. A small but promising government study by National Institutes of Health found that bone marrow transplants can reverse severe sickle cell disease in adults. Results were published Tuesday, July 1, 2014, in the Journal of the American Medical Association. (AP Photo/National Institutes of Health)

By Associated Press July 1, 2014 3 min read

CHICAGO (AP) – Bone marrow transplants can reverse severe sickle cell disease in adults, a small study by government scientists found, echoing results seen with a similar technique used in children.

The researchers and others say the findings show age need not be a barrier and that the technique may change practice for some adult patients when standard treatment fails.

The transplant worked in 26 of 30 adults, and 15 of them were even able to stop taking drugs that prevent rejection one year later.

“We’re very pleased,” said Dr. John Tisdale, the study’s senior author and a senior investigator at the National Institutes of Health. “This is what we hoped for.”

The treatment is a modified version of bone marrow transplants that have worked in kids. Donors are a brother or sister whose stem cell-rich bone marrow is a good match for the patient.