Minke Rab has been awarded the EHA Topic-In-Focus Physician Scientist Research Grant

Minke Rab (internist-hematologist and scientist) has been awarded the EHA Topic-In-Focus Physician Scientist Research Grant at the recent European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress in Milan.

This grant will support a translational research project focused on Hemoglobin SC disease (HbSC)—the second most prevalent sickle cell genotype, yet one that remains significantly under-studied. Treatment for this condition is limited as all attention goes to sickle cell anemia the most common form of sickle cell disease. The study aims to elucidate key aspects of HbSC pathophysiology, both during erythropoiesis and in mature erythrocytes, using patient-specific immortalized erythroid progenitor cell lines as a model system.

The project will explore cellular and molecular mechanisms that may contribute to the unique clinical phenotype of HbSC, with the goal of identifying novel therapeutic targets and improving clinical outcomes for this underserved patient population.