Sickle cell disease covers a group of inherited blood disorders which affect mainly Afro-Caribbean people although sufferers may also come from parts of Europe, South America and the Middle East.
Sickle cell disease causes severely painful ‘crises’ brought on by a variety of factors including stress, dehydration and cold exposure.
In the UK, it is estimated that there are more than 6,000 adults and children with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) who are mainly of African and Caribbean descent .
In the last 20 years, Action Medical Research has awarded more than £500,000 in grants for projects specifically related to sickle cell disease and we have also been involved in raising awareness of this potentially fatal disorder.
A recent award of £63,700 has been made to Cranfield University, Bedfordshire and The Babraham Institute, Cambridge to investigate a different potential treatment for sickle cell disease.
Celebrity supporters - Zoe Ball
Television and radio personality Zoe Ball has given up her time to help promote our Bring your Bear campaign which raises money for vital research.
Caroline's story
Caroline Martin used to live in fear of her next epileptic seizure but a revolutionary brain scanning technique enabled her to have life-changing surgery. Read Caroline's amazing story in Touching Lives magazine.