Measuring HbF in Blood Inexpensively

SLU ID 12-019 | Method of determining fetal hemoglobin in red blood cells

Background

Sickle cell anemia is one of the most commonly inherited genetic diseases, annually affecting approximately 275,000 births worldwide. The disease is most prevalent in African countries and countries in which a large proportion of the population is of African descent, such as the Caribbean nation of Haiti. In Western Africa, 1.7 percent of children are born with the disease, and in the Caribbean, the percentage is 0.4 percent. In particular, the prevalence of sickle hemoglobin (HbS) in Haiti, representing both homozygotes and heterozygotes, is 15.2 percent. In developed countries, HbF levels are monitored by electrophoresis or HPLC, but these methods are impractical in underdeveloped countries.

Overview

Researchers at Saint Louis University have developed a simple, inexpensive method of monitoring HbA, HbS, or HbF in a quantitative manner. The method may be used to monitor patients with sickle cell anemia undergoing hydroxyurea therapy and may be easily practiced in underdeveloped countries.

Benefits

The potential benefits of this technology include:

• Minimizing the costs of measuring and monitoring HbA, HbS, or HbF levels

• Minimizing the complexity of measuring and monitoring HbA, HbS, or HbF levels

• Minimizing the need for advanced infrastructure to measure and monitor HbA, HbS, or HbF levels

Applications

The potential applications of this technology include:

• Treating sickle cell disease in underdeveloped countries

Opportunity

Saint Louis University is seeking a partner to further develop and commercialize this technology.

References

See related technology SLU Tech ID 10-024.