Babies with sickle cell disease have abnormal red blood cells and the test works by detecting these cells, which burst under certain conditions allowing an immediate diagnosis and more intensive treatment to be given.

Scientists from British Universities are collaborating to replace the diagnostic tests for sickle cell disease, which are complicated, requiring skilled technicians, and sophisticated and expensive equipment. Those tests are time consuming and are often not useful in an emergency situation. The newer test involves mixing a blood sample with a special sugar solution in low oxygen. Red blood cells from a baby who has sickle cell disease burst in the liquid, which becomes pink. Cells from a healthy baby do not burst, and the liquid stays clear.

None of the existing tests can predict how severe a baby's illness is likely to be. Babies who are at risk of the most severe symptoms, who might benefit greatly from early and intensive treatment, cannot be easily identified before they become poorly. Children with sickle cell disease face a lifetime of ill health. They have attacks of intense pain called crises, which can last several days. They are prone to infections and anemia, which can be life threatening. They are at risk of a variety of complications, including organ failure, strokes, and leg ulcers, and they have a shortened life expectancy.

An estimated 20 million people are affected worldwide and over 12,000 people in the UK have sickle cell disease, the country's most common severe genetic disorder. Symptoms usually start early in babies who are just six to nine months old. John Gibson, PhD, from the University of Cambridge (UK) is the project leader and working with colleagues at King's College Hospital, (London, UK) have enrolled 120 children and adults with sickle cell disease who will donate blood samples for testing. He said, "The aim of this project is to perfect the diagnostic test, so it can be used routinely at the bedside".

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University of Cambridge
King's College Hospital