Why people with sickle cell disease have higher risk of blood cancers
Official title: Mechanisms underlying increased risk of hematological malignancy in sickle cell disease.
Funded at Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr · NIH-11310848 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project is checking if oxidative DNA damage in blood stem cells explains the higher risk of blood cancers after transplants or gene therapy in adults with sickle cell disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cincinnati, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2025 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $187,584 |
| NIH project number | 5R21CA299166-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11310848 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with sickle cell disease, particularly those considering or who have undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplant or gene therapy, would be most relevant.
✕Less likely to help
People without sickle cell disease, children, or patients not facing transplant or gene therapy are unlikely to directly benefit from this specific work.
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective, the team uses sickle cell mouse models and lab studies of blood stem cells to see how oxidative stress causes DNA damage and allows mutant clones to grow. They will deliberately increase or reduce oxidative damage in stem cells to see whether that changes the chance of clonal blood stem cell expansion and eventual blood cancer, comparing sickle cell models to healthy controls. The researchers will also mimic the heavy stem cell regeneration that follows transplantation or gene therapy to see if that amplifies risky clones. The goal is to connect lab findings to the higher cancer risk seen after curative therapies in people with sickle cell disease.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to ways to protect blood stem cells or reduce DNA damage and thereby lower blood cancer risk after gene therapy or transplant.
How similar studies have gone: Clinical reports have observed higher blood cancer rates after gene therapy or transplant in sickle cell disease, but mechanistic laboratory studies addressing why are relatively new.
Where this research is happening
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Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr
Cincinnati, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Malik, Punam — Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr
- Study coordinator: Malik, Punam
Related research
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.