Project Sickle Cure: A Prospective, International Observational Study of Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Sickle Cell Disease

TY - JOUR

T1 - Project Sickle Cure

T2 - A Prospective, International Observational Study of Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Sickle Cell Disease

AU - Guilcher, Gregory M.T.

AU - Abraham, Allistair

AU - Arnold, Staci D.

AU - Camacho-Bydume, Christine

AU - Duong, Jenny

AU - Gillespie, Scott

AU - Haight, Ann

AU - Hulbert, Monica L.

AU - Kumar, Naresh

AU - Liu, Katie

AU - Mammen, Cherry

AU - Mineyko, Aleksandra

AU - Morgan, Abra

AU - Ngwube, Alexander

AU - Nickel, Robert S.

AU - Roberts, Araby

AU - Schulte, Fiona

AU - Sands, Stephen

AU - Sharma, Akshay

AU - Horan, John T.

AU - Stenger, Elizabeth O.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s). European Journal of Haematology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PY - 2026

Y1 - 2026

N2 - Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a chronic and life-limiting hemoglobin and systemic vascular disease. While over 1000 people have undergone hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) over the last 40 years, long-term disease-specific and health-related quality of life data are lacking. The American Society of Hematology 2021 Guidelines for SCD emphasized the need for more detailed registry data to inform patients and providers with decision-making and practice recommendations. Procedures: In January 2021, the Sickle Cell Transplant Advocacy and Research Alliance (STAR) launched Project Sickle Cure (PSC). This multi-center, prospective study of patients who have undergone HCT for SCD includes baseline demographics and SCD-specific post-HCT outcomes, serial neurocognitive testing, health-related quality of life measures, health equity evaluations, a neuroimaging bank, detailed evaluation of neurologic status pre- and post-transplant, and chronic pain evaluation. A biorepository is in the planning stage of development. Results: As of November 2025, 115 participants have enrolled at 18 STAR sites with enrollment ongoing. Conclusions: PSC is a STAR prospective study which will address a major gap in our understanding of outcomes post-HCT specific to SCD. WeDecide, a larger study comparing HCT health-related quality of life outcomes to those who receive non-transplant disease modifying therapy (NT-DMT) is in development, and PSC will provide the HCT comparator data. These data will also be highly relevant as other curative and transformative therapies, such as gene therapy, become more widely used.

AB - Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a chronic and life-limiting hemoglobin and systemic vascular disease. While over 1000 people have undergone hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) over the last 40 years, long-term disease-specific and health-related quality of life data are lacking. The American Society of Hematology 2021 Guidelines for SCD emphasized the need for more detailed registry data to inform patients and providers with decision-making and practice recommendations. Procedures: In January 2021, the Sickle Cell Transplant Advocacy and Research Alliance (STAR) launched Project Sickle Cure (PSC). This multi-center, prospective study of patients who have undergone HCT for SCD includes baseline demographics and SCD-specific post-HCT outcomes, serial neurocognitive testing, health-related quality of life measures, health equity evaluations, a neuroimaging bank, detailed evaluation of neurologic status pre- and post-transplant, and chronic pain evaluation. A biorepository is in the planning stage of development. Results: As of November 2025, 115 participants have enrolled at 18 STAR sites with enrollment ongoing. Conclusions: PSC is a STAR prospective study which will address a major gap in our understanding of outcomes post-HCT specific to SCD. WeDecide, a larger study comparing HCT health-related quality of life outcomes to those who receive non-transplant disease modifying therapy (NT-DMT) is in development, and PSC will provide the HCT comparator data. These data will also be highly relevant as other curative and transformative therapies, such as gene therapy, become more widely used.

KW - health-related quality of life

KW - hematopoietic cell transplantation

KW - registry

KW - sickle cell disease

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105042388255

U2 - 10.1111/ejh.70240

DO - 10.1111/ejh.70240

M3 - Article

SN - 0902-4441

JO - European Journal of Haematology

JF - European Journal of Haematology

ER -