Local News in Brief : Sickle-Cell Research Cut
The research and treatment-coordination efforts of the only full-range sickle-cell treatment center in the Los Angeles area are being sharply reduced by a federal decision to cut off funding, the center’s director said Monday.
“There will be a marked cutback,” Dr. L. Julian Haywood said. “Some of our people are already starting to look for other jobs.”
Haywood said patient care will not be affected when federal funds run out in March because that portion of the activity at the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center at the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center always has been funded through other sources.
Sickle cell anemia is a hereditary affliction that takes its name from the abnormal, crescent-shaped red blood cells found in those suffering from the disease. About 50,000 black Americans, and a far smaller number of whites of Mediterranean descent, are known to be suffering from the illness.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
