Sickle Cell Disease

Carbon-Fiber Microelectrode Amperometry Reveals Sickle-Cell-Induced Inflammation and Chronic Morphine Effects on Single Mast Cells

“…Several years later, the genetic basis for the dysfunctional Hb was determined. , However, despite its simple origin, the pathophysiology of this disease is complex and highly variable, and relatively few advances in treatment methods have been made. A large part of the diverse manifestation of SCD can be attributed to the significant inflammatory component of the disease. − Understanding the specific role of inflammation in the development and progression of SCD requires a capacity to monitor the behavior of different cell types that take part in the inflammatory response. In addition to traditional molecular biology methods such as bulk in vitro assays to detect various secreted mediators or immunostaining to observe relative levels of immune cell infiltrate in situ, single cell measurement techniques can provide a complementary approach to study fundamental cellular functions of the immune system.…”