CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Medical University of South Carolina is expanding its access to state-supported Sickle Cell programs for "warriors," or patients battling the disease.
The medical campus's Board of Trustees announced in February it would bring transformative gene therapies to the Rena N. Grant Center. The center was named after a state legislator and patient who passed in 2020 after a long battle with Sickle Cell disease.
Grant was dedicated to expanding access for patients.
The new therapies are described as "transformative," although not "curative." Bluebird Bio, Incorporated and Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated provide disease-modifying treatments.
The center is the first and only facility in South Carolina offering these services.
"If you're trying to focus on really basic needs, it's really difficult to also manage a chronic illness. What they have to deal with is truly incredible throughout their entire life, and they still find a way to continue to fight a debilitating disease," Sickle Cell Program Manager Megan Gwinn Nix said.
MUSC reports Sickle Cell disease as the most common inherited blood disorder in the United States. More than 4,000 South Carolinians live with the disease, which mutates red blood cells in the body.
A typical red blood cell is shaped similarly to the inner tube found at a water park: round and with a divot in the center to flow freely through the bloodstream. Those with sickle cell disease have cells shaped like a banana or a "sickle," an old farm tool. The cells are unable to move as freely and can clump together, blocking blood flow to parts of the body.
Sickle cell disease is genetic. Those who inherit the trait face a 20-year shortened lifespan compared to those without sickle cell.
MUSC healthcare professionals are hopeful to create a "hub" program out of Charleston for sickle cell warriors who are seeking care. The intention is to station care efforts out in areas where patients may find it more difficult to navigate care and bring the treatments closer to homes.
For more information on the Rena N. Grant Sickle Cell Center and treatment services, click here.