Thalassemia

Thalassemia is an inherited autosomal recessive blood disease. In thalassemia, the genetic defect results in reduced rate of synthesis of one of the globin chains that make up hemoglobin. Reduced synthesis of one of the globin chains causes the formation of abnormal hemoglobin molecules, and this in turn causes the anemia which is the characteristic presenting symptom of the thalassemias. Thalassemia is a quantitative problem of too few globins synthesized, whereas sickle-cell disease is a qualitative problem of synthesis of a non-functioning globin. Thalassemias usually result in under production of normal globin proteins, often through mutations in regulatory genes. Hemoglobinopathies imply structural abnormalities in the globin proteins themselves . The two conditions may overlap, however, since some conditions which cause abnormalities in globin proteins also affect their production . Thus, some thalassemias are hemoglobinopathies, but most are not. Either or both of these conditions may cause anemia. The disease is particularly prevalent among Mediterranean peoples, and this geographical association was responsible for its naming: Thalassa is Greek for the sea, Haema is Greek for blood. (From the Wikpedia article Thalassemia.)

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Recent Publications on Thalassemia:
Iron metabolism and iron chelation in sickle cell disease. This review highlights recent advances in iron metabolism that are...	13th November, 2009	Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland, Oakland, Calif., USA.	Acta Haematol. 2009;122(2-3):174-83. Epub 2009 Nov 10. DOI Direct Link
Deferasirox (Exjade) for the treatment of iron overload. Deferasirox is a once-daily oral iron chelator with established...	13th November, 2009	Fondazione Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a	Acta Haematol. 2009;122(2-3):165-73. Epub 2009 Nov 10. DOI Direct Link
Deferiprone chelation therapy for thalassemia major. Iron overload is one of the major causes of morbidity in patients with...	13th November, 2009	Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Biotecnologie, Ospedale Regionale	Acta Haematol. 2009;122(2-3):155-64. Epub 2009 Nov 10. DOI Direct Link
The effect of prolonged administration of hydroxyurea on morbidity and mortality in adult patients with sickle-cell syndromes: results of a 17-year, single center trial (LaSHS). The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the long-term efficacy...	12th November, 2009	Thalassemia Center, Laikon General Hospital, Athens, Greece;	Blood. 2009 Nov 10. DOI Direct Link
Pregnancy and {beta}-thalassemia: an Italian multicenter experience. Background Recent advances on the management of thalassemia have...	12th November, 2009	ASL Cagliari, Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Biotecnologie,	Haematologica. 2009 Nov 10. DOI Direct Link
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Press Releases About Thalassemia:
StemCyte, Inc. Reaches 1,000th Cord Blood Stem Cell Shipment for Transplant Milestone	28th May, 2009	StemCyte, Inc.	COVINA, Calif., May 28 /PRNewswire/ -- StemCyte, Inc., a privately held cord blood bank and stem cell therapeutics company, recently released their 1,000th cord blood stem cell shipment for transplant
Studies Examine Quality of Care for Hospitalized Sickle Cell Disease Patients and Effective Methods for Detecting Risk of Stroke in Children With This Disorder	6th December, 2008	American Society of Hematology	SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A study assessing the quality of care for patients with sickle cell disease in a variety of hospital settings will be presented at a press conference
BMP Sunstone Reports Second Quarter 2008 Financial Results	11th August, 2008	BMP Sunstone Corporation	PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., Aug. 11 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- BMP Sunstone Corporation (Nasdaq: BJGP) (''BMP Sunstone'' or the ''Company''), today

BioNews Results for Thalassemia:
Kids with cancer paint dream, see different world	Philippine Daily Inquirer:  Nov 13 2009 7:32PM Matching: thalassemia
Cryobanks to step up awareness on stem cell banking	Business Standard India:  Nov 11 2009 9:46PM Matching: thalassemia
Stem cell can treat blood cancers: Japanese scientist	Livemint.com:  Nov 9 2009 6:45AM Matching: thalassemia
Stem cell can treat blood cancers: Japanese scientist	DNA India:  Nov 9 2009 7:17AM Matching: thalassemia
Stem cells can treat blood cancers: Japanese scientist	Yahoo! India:  Nov 9 2009 5:08AM Matching: thalassemia
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Thalassemia Clinical Trials:
Evaluating People With Thalassemia: The Thalassemia Longitudinal Cohort (TLC) Study

Thalassemia Patents:
US Patent No.	Title
7557144	Modulation of protein expression using carbocyclic aryl alkenoic acid derivatives
7579372	Histone deacetylase inhibitors based on alpha-ketoepoxide compounds
7582292	Adipose tissue derived stromal cells for the treatment of neurological disorders
7582421	Methods for determination of single nucleic acid polymorphisms using a bioelectronic microchip
7582744	Chemically modified oligonucleotides
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Companies working in the area of Thalassemia from Bioportfolio's Biocorporate database :
Company Name
Avigen Avigen is a leader in the development of gene therapy products derived from adeno-associated virus ("AAV") for the treatment of inherited diseases. Avigen's proposed gene therapy products are designed... www.avigen.com/        View full profile

BioPortfolio Ltd. offers e-mail and postal lists for Thalassemia scientists - we have details of around 1577 individuals working on Thalassemia .