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Red blood cell biomarkers may predict sickle cell disease (SCD) severity and the risk of vaso-occlusive crisis, according to a study that evaluated the FA-WB-VCAM blood test.
“Our latest research indicates that one of our clinically available red blood cell health tests called Flow Adhesion of Whole Blood to VCAM (FA-WB-VCAM) may be a plausible surrogate endpoint for SCD severity,” Patrick Hines, MD, PhD, CEO and founder of Functional Fluidics, the company that developed the test, said in a press release. The study, “Longitudinal assessment of adhesion to vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 at steady state and during vaso-occlusive crises in sickle cell disease,” was published in the British Journal of Haematology. A vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC) occurs when sickle-shaped red blood cells stick to blood vessel walls and block blood flow, depriving tissues of oxygen. As a result, VOCs can cause severe pain and organ damage.
But there is a lack of reliable biomarkers that can predict VOC risk and severity — and that could potentially identify SCD patients at risk of VOC complications in the early stages of the disease. Such early identification with cell biomarkers could help prevent organ damage.
“Our latest research indicates that one of our clinically available red blood cell health tests called Flow Adhesion of Whole Blood to VCAM (FA-WB-VCAM) may be a plausible surrogate endpoint for SCD severity,” Patrick Hines, MD, PhD, CEO and founder of Functional Fluidics, the company that developed the test, said in a press release. The study, “Longitudinal assessment of adhesion to vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 at steady state and during vaso-occlusive crises in sickle cell disease,” was published in the British Journal of Haematology. A vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC) occurs when sickle-shaped red blood cells stick to blood vessel walls and block blood flow, depriving tissues of oxygen. As a result, VOCs can cause severe pain and organ damage.
But there is a lack of reliable biomarkers that can predict VOC risk and severity — and that could potentially identify SCD patients at risk of VOC complications in the early stages of the disease. Such early identification with cell biomarkers could help prevent organ damage.
