Hematopoietic Stem Cell BCL11A Enhancer Gene Editing for Sickle Cell Disease (NCT07708350)
A Pilot Trial of Hematopoietic Stem Cell BCL11A Enhancer Gene Editing for Sickle Cell Disease
🩺 Plain-English Summary (8th-Grade Level)
A promising approach for the treatment of genetic diseases is called gene therapy. Gene therapy is a relatively new field of medicine that uses genetic material (mostly DNA) from the patient to treat his or her own disease. In gene therapy, the investigators introduce new genetic material in order to fix or replace a diseased gene, with the goal of curing the disease. The procedure is similar to a bone marrow transplant, in that the patient's malfunctioning blood stem cells are reduced or eliminated using chemotherapy, but it is different because instead of using a different person's (donor) blood stem cells for the transplant, the patient's own blood stem cells are given back after the new genetic material has been introduced into those cells. This approach has the advantage of eliminating any risk of Graft-Versus-Host Disease (GVHD), reducing the risk of graft rejection, and may also allow less chemotherapy to be utilized for the conditioning portion of the transplant procedure. The method used to fix or replace a diseased gene is called gene editing. A person's own cells are edited using a specialized biological medicine that has been formulated for use in human beings. Fetal hemoglobin (HbF) is a healthy, non-sickling kind of hemoglobin. Investigators have recently discovered a gene called BCL11A that is very important in the control of fetal hemoglobin expression. Increasing the expression of this gene in sickle cell patients could increase the amount of fetal hemoglobin while simultaneously reducing the amount of sickle hemoglobin in their blood, and therefore potentially cure the condition.
Who can join: Review the eligibility criteria below.
Location: Boston Children's Hospital — Boston, Massachusetts
Age range: 13 Years to 40 Years
🧪 Interventions in This Study
📋 "Do I Qualify?" — 1-Minute Self Screener
Instant ChecklistFull eligibility criteria are available on the official NIH protocol. View the criteria ↗
📍 All Participating Trial Locations (1 Sites)
- Boston Children's Hospital — Boston, Massachusetts
📞 Contact the Study Coordinator
Phone: (631) 355-8724
Email: gene.therapy@childrens.harvard.edu
Coordinator details come directly from the registered NIH protocol. Confirm the study is still recruiting before traveling.
💰 Cost, Insurance & Patient Rights
- 100% Free Items: The investigational treatment and protocol-required procedures are supplied at zero cost by the sponsor.
- Routine Patient Care: Under federal law (ACA § 2709) and many state statutes, routine care costs are covered during participation.
- Voluntary Participation: You may withdraw at any time without affecting your standard medical care.
More studies in Sickle Cell Disease
- Kidney Function in Sickle Cell Anemia — Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- BEACON: A Study Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of BEAM-101 in Patients With Severe Sickle Cell Disease — Birmingham, Alabama
- Nonmyeloablative Haploidentical Peripheral Blood Mobilized Hematopoietic Precursor Cell Transplantation for Sickle Cell Disease — Bethesda, Maryland
- Acupressure in Patients With Sickle Cell Disease — Irvine, California
- Long-term Follow-up (LTFU) of Patients Treated With Genome-edited Autologous Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells (HSPC) — Chicago, Illinois
- Evaluation of Safety and Efficacy of CTX001 in Pediatric Participants With Severe Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) — Charlotte, North Carolina
Explore by condition: All Sickle Cell Disease clinical trials
💡 How to Participate
- Check the checklist above to see if you may qualify.
- Contact the study coordinator using the phone/email above.
- Ask about the visit schedule, what is covered at no cost, and any travel support.
- Confirm with your own doctor before making a decision.