03 August 2026
A combination of drugs restores stem-cell function in mouse models of the blood disorder.
People with sickle-cell disease have ‘sickled’, or crescent-shaped, red blood cells (artist’s illustration) and stem cells that show signs of premature ageing. Credit: Ruslanas Baranauskas/Science Photo Library
Mice with a version of sickle-cell disease have blood-forming stem cells that show signs of chronic stress, DNA damage and premature ageing, scientists have found1. But existing cancer drugs and anti-ageing treatments can reverse those signs.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-02339-1
