platelets

Inflammation Cuts Lifeline for Blood-Producing Stem Cells

Discovery Could Lead to New Approaches for Boosting Blood Cell Counts

red blood cell (left), platelet (middle), and white blood cell (right)

Much of human biology is a black box — scientists know the key players and the end results, but not how those outcomes come about. Consequently, it remains a mystery why some medications help patients. A new IRP study has cracked open the black box to reveal how high levels of an inflammatory molecule inhibit blood cell production in some individuals and why a particular medicine helps reverse this life-threatening condition.

Teen Travels from Jamaica to the NIH for Aplastic Anemia Treatment

Reblogged from The Children's Inn: Family Stories.

Sixteen-year-old Howayne and his Aunt Michelle

Sixteen-year old Howayne McGregor, from Jamaica, suddenly collapsed on his routine walk to school and was rushed to the nearest hospital. After sending his lab results to Dr. Neal Young at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Howayne received the diagnosis of aplastic anemia, a rare but serious blood disorder in which the body’s bone marrow doesn’t make enough new blood cells.