Overview
- Manning Family Children’s Hospital treated 23-year-old Daniel Cressy with an autologous gene‑editing stem‑cell therapy and reports his sickle cell disease is no longer active after two years of preparation and follow‑up.
- Clinicians collected Cressy’s stem cells by apheresis, had them genetically edited in a lab, used intensive chemotherapy to clear his marrow, then infused the corrected cells back to rebuild a healthy blood system.
- The conditioning and recovery caused severe side effects for Cressy, including painful mouth sores, hair loss and more than six weeks in a sterile isolation room during the hardest stretch of treatment.
- The treatment removed a medical barrier to Cressy’s plan to pursue a commercial pilot career and inspired him to start advocacy work, but access is constrained because only a small number of U.S. centers offer FDA‑approved gene‑altering therapies and eligibility and costs remain high.
- Public health experts note sickle cell is the world’s most common genetic blood disorder and that Louisiana has the nation’s highest per‑capita prevalence, while long‑term durability of the cure and broader access will require more time and follow‑up.