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ASH 2025 | Highlights in sickle cell disease from ASH 2025: hydroxyurea in pregnancy, gene editing, and more
In this video, Rabi Hanna, MD, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, shares his highlights in sickle cell disease (SCD) from the ASH 2025 meeting. Dr Hanna mentions promising data on the safety of hydroxyurea in pregnant patients and expresses his excitement about novel gene editing techniques presented at the event. This interview took place at the 67th ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition, held in Orlando, FL.
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Transcript
I think that the first thing to highlight, this is the 10th anniversary for the Global ASH Initiative and Sickle Cell Cure. And over 10 years, I am so proud of what we have achieved as the community of hematologists. First, it is really the global initiative and working with North Africa and many countries in Africa to build a network of sickle cell consortium to be able to use some disease-modifying agents there...
I think that the first thing to highlight, this is the 10th anniversary for the Global ASH Initiative and Sickle Cell Cure. And over 10 years, I am so proud of what we have achieved as the community of hematologists. First, it is really the global initiative and working with North Africa and many countries in Africa to build a network of sickle cell consortium to be able to use some disease-modifying agents there. So that’s the first thing.
The second thing, it is really the data that is presented at the plenary session about using hydroxyurea for pregnant women. For so long, we have been avoiding using hydroxyurea in pregnant women because of the fear that it could have an impact on the fetus. But I’m so happy to see that there hasn’t been any adverse effect or any fetal abnormality reported with hydroxyurea. And there is actually a trend probably to fewer complications in the group that received hydroxyurea compared to the one who didn’t. So this is very encouraging because in limited settings, when you don’t have access to chronic blood transfusions, this is a very useful method to ensure safe delivery for the women who are affected by sickle cell disease and also for the babies, less prematurity and fewer complications.
Third, we are seeing still not only improvement in, as I said earlier, in providing access, but innovation continues to really be a focus and to be reported with the newer gene therapy options. So there is a study, BEACON, where they reported in terms of using base editing on the BEACON study for patients with sickle cell disease. And this is very exciting, a more novel or newer generation of gene editing with maintaining the stemness of the stem cell. And even there are a few posters about in vivo gene editing for sickle cell that I’m looking forward to seeing and hopefully in the future ASH, where we can be the goal to be able to deliver safer therapy with fewer resources, not only in well-developed countries like the US, but globally, so we can provide more access to patients.
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