Speaker(s)

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a hereditary blood disorder, where red blood cells have the shape of a C or sickle – hence the name. Sickle cells have a shorter lifespan than normal red blood cells, which causes anemia. Additionally, sickle cells may block blood vessels, especially during infections, dehydration, stress or fatigue, causing complications for the patients.

Our guest today Professor Bart Biemond is a haematologist at the Amsterdam UMC in The Netherlands. Bart is head of the Hemoglobinopathy Expert Center and an active member of the medical advisory boards of the national patient associations. His efforts in research have led among others to greater understanding of biomarkers in SCD and complications associated with this disease. In this episode of our Haematology Podcast, Bart will tell us more about SCD, its clinical implications and developments in research which implicate patients today and in the future.