Researchers at a Boston pharmaceutical company hope to make sickle cell disease — a blood disorder that disproportionately affects Black people — more manageable for patients.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals says it is trying to use gene editing to restore impacted blood cells and reduce symptoms. And the scientists working on the solution hope their actions will help inspire a new generation of young thinkers.
"Growing up in a community of color, it was something that was present," Crew Smith, director at Vertex, told NBC10 Boston."Not always in your face, but you knew people who had it. And also I knew people in my family, relatives who have the disease." Finding transformative change for people who live with the condition is Smith's daily mission. The scientist from St. Thomas, with degrees from Princeton and Yale, works with colleagues to attack the underlying causes of the disease that's most commonly found in Black people."It's amazing to be able to be part of the process to be able to bring the idea of hope," she said.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Boston Police Searching for Missing 16-Year-Old From DorchesterPolice in Boston are searching for a Dorchester teen who has been missing since last week. The Boston Police Department says 16-year-old Jahkari Howard was last seen around 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8. He was leaving a relative’s home on Blue Hill Avenue. Howard was reported missing Friday, police said in their announcement Monday. When he was last seen, Howard…
Read more »
Researchers reveal 'significant' findings about dinosaurs which roamed south of England 125 million years agoScientists from the University of Southampton reconstructed the brains and inner ears of two spinosaurs to better understand their evolution.
Read more »
East Boston Community Calls for Police to Do More to Find Woman Missing Since NovemberThere was another push Monday night to find East Boston resident Reina Morales Rojas, who has been missing since the end of November. Community members and activists rallied outside of the police station in East Boston, calling on the Boston Police Department to ramp up its search efforts with more resources. It’s been 79 days since Rojas was last seen….
Read more »
Man Who Shot Brother in the Face in Boston Home Sale Dispute Arrested, DA SaysA man suspected of shooting his brother in the face over the sale of their family’s home in Boston’s Mattapan neighborhood nearly two years ago was arrested this weekend, prosecutors said. Trevor Lawrence, a 32-year-old from Mattapan, was arrested during a drug investigation in Dorchester on Saturday, according to a release from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office Tuesday. He…
Read more »
Boston Taking Steps to Make Sure LGBTQ Youth Have Safe Spaces at SchoolAs states across the country pass anti-gay legislation targeting schools, the city of Boston is doing the opposite. Officials are making sure queer young people have a safe place at school, and they are on a mission to spread the word. Quincey Roberts, the inaugural executive director for Boston’s Office of LGBTQ Advancement, is visiting some of the city’s 30…
Read more »
The Tiger King Effect: How a Lincolnshire rescue sanctuary is tackling the exotic pet tradeInside Ark Wildlife Park near Boston, where all the animals are enjoying life after a difficult time
Read more »