Sickle cell anemia is an inherited blood disorder, characterized primarily by chronic anemia and periodic episodes of pain. The cause of sickle cell anemia is a genetic disorder in which the hemoglobin is defective. When the hemoglobin molecules gives up their oxygen, some will cluster together. This forms long, rod-like structures which cause the red blood cells to stiffen and assume a sickle shape. With the deformity, the cells cannot squeeze through the blood vessels, …showed first 75 words of 1349 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1349 total…that switches on production of adult hemoglobin shortly before birth is faulted. Until now, researchers had difficulty finding an animal model that could be used as a test subject. Recently, however, a strain of mice has been engineered which show similar characteristics of sickle cell anemia to humans. Bibliography http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/blood/sickle_cell_anemia_p4.html http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx?refid=761577849 http://www.ascaa.org/