What is Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and Clonal Hematopoiesis of Indeterminate Potential (CHIP)? Blood diseases are health problems that affect the way blood works. SCD and CHIP are two different types of blood diseases. SCD happens when blood cells are shaped like crescent moons instead of circles. This prevents proper Read more…
Genetics of Sepsis and Serious Infections What is Sepsis? Sepsis is a deadly illness that can happen when our body is fighting off germs. The body’s immune system helps fight off germs like bacteria, viruses, and fungi. But for individuals diagnosed with sepsis, their immune system does not work properly Read more…
Genetics of Sickle Cell Disease What is Sickle Cell Disease? Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a sickness that can run in families. It happens when someone’s red blood cells that carry oxygen do not work as well as they should. This causes the blood cells to be shaped like crescent Read more…
Genetics of Immunome markers of Disease What is an Immune System Biomarker? A biomarker is a way to test the state of one’s health condition or how well a treatment is working. In this study, researchers want to use the pattern of genes related to cells and molecules that Read more…
Genetics of Sepsis Various Responses What are Hyper-inflammatory and Hypo-inflammatory Septic Responses? Sepsis is a serious condition that happens when a person’s immune system does not work as it should when facing an infection. There are two types of sepsis responses: hyper-inflammatory and hypo-inflammatory. In hyper-inflammatory sepsis, the immune system Read more…
Genetics of PHACE Syndrome and Evaluating Its Causes. What is PHACE Syndrome? PHACE Syndrome is a rare medical condition that affects the brain and skin in babies and young kids. PHACE is named after the first letter of each feature that defines this condition. PHACE features can be different for Read more…
Genetics of Blood Cells What are blood cells? Stem cells are cells that can become many other types of cells. These include: Muscle cells Heart cells Nerve cells Blood cells Blood cells include red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Red blood cells carry oxygen to the rest of Read more…
Hypertension means high blood pressure. It is when pressure in your arteries stays higher than it should. Arteries carry blood to your body. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a type of high blood pressure. It affects the arteries in your lungs. And the right side of your heart. The right Read more…
Ulcerative colitis, or UC, is a bowel disease. Symptoms include cramps. Abdominal pain. Blood in your stool. And weight loss. It can make you feel weak and sick. UC may even lead to life-threatening problems. Symptoms develop over time. These include diarrhea. Abdominal pain. Cramps. Blood in your stool. Weight Read more…
Our immune system is our defense system. It helps protect us from things that can make us sick. Lots of proteins make up this system. Some proteins fight infections. Others prevent bacteria from making us sick. Sometimes, one of the proteins does not work well. This can cause a weak Read more…