According to project leader Dr John Gibson from the University of Cambridge, the most reliable diagnostic tests currently available for sickle cell disease are ‘complicated, time consuming and are often not useful in an emergency situation’.
However, the new test could allow immediate and more intensive treatment to be given.
Dr Gibson added that existing tests can’t predict how severe a baby’s illness is likely to be, so babies at risk of the most severe symptoms who might benefit from early and intensive treatment, cannot be easily identified before they become poorly.
The aim of the project is to perfect the diagnostic test, so it can be used routinely at the bedside.
Dr Gibson explained: ‘Babies with the disease have abnormal red blood cells. The test works by detecting these cells. It involves mixing a blood sample with a special sugar solution in low oxygen. Red blood cells from a baby who has sickle cell disease burst in the liquid, which becomes pink. Cells from a healthy baby do not burst, and the liquid stays clear.
Around 120 children and adults with sickle cell disease who attend clinics at Kings College Hospital in London are donating blood samples for use in this research.
The research has been boosted with a grant from children’s charity
Action Medical Research.
The charity’s senior research evaluation manager Dr Alexandra Dedman said: ‘The researchers are hoping the new test could be simpler, cheaper and easy to distribute and more children in developing countries might therefore have access to testing – in some parts of Africa the disease is particularly common, with up to one in 60 babies being affected.
‘The new test could give faster results, making it suitable for use in emergencies. If children need emergency surgery, for example, it is important to know whether they have sickle cell disease,’ she added.
