The Current State of Sickle Cell Disease Management: A Concise Review on Stem Cell Transplant as a Cure

Treatment of sickle cell disease remains largely palliative. While it may improve the quality of life, persons with sickle cell disease still suffer from extreme sickling crises, end-organ damage, and reduced life expectancy. Increasing studies have led to the identification and advancement of stem cell transplant and gene therapy as potential curative strategies for sickle cell disease. However, there have been various factors that have hindered their clinical application. Stem cell transplantation, the more propitious of the two, is limited by restricted transplant donor pool, transplant complications, and selection criteria. The current paper reviewed the literature on sickle cell disease, current treatment options, and more particularly on the progress of stem cell transplants. It outlined various challenges of stem cell transplant and proposed ways to increase the donor pool using alternative strategies and modifications of regimen conditioning with minimal transplant-related toxicities and associated complications. Keywords: Cord blood, Haploidentical, Sickle cell disease, Stem cell transplantation