The goal of the NIH Sickle Cell Disease Branch is to cure sickle cell disease through transplants and gene therapy. I shadow Dr. Courtney FItzhugh in a clinic where she investigates protocols that could aid in minimizing immunosuppression during transplant. From my experience I am able to witness the direct relationship between biomedical research and the development of treatment plans. I have also learned the importance of keeping open communication with patients throughout treatment, which helps to improve patient compliance. I work under the hydroxyurea protocol where I will be testing exosome activity in the recipient's blood as a measure to predict level of possible immune rejection.
