New Hope For Sickle Cell
A drug currently used to treat gout might also relieve the intense pain of sickle cell disease, says Bruce Freeman, Ph.D., UAB professor of anesthesiology. In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, Freeman's team found that an enzyme called xanthine oxidase contributes to the circulatory disorders common to sickle cell patients. Allopurinol, a drug that inhibits xanthine oxidase, is already used in the treatment of gout. " If it works as we anticipate, it may lessen the painful episodes and other symptoms of sickle cell disease." Freeman plans to begin human clinical trials with allopurinol soon.
Contact Bob Shepard, UAB Media Relations, 205-934-8934 or [email protected].
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