A sickle cell first: Base editing, a new form of gene therapy, leaves patient feeling ‘more than fine’

Though he doesn’t remember it, Branden Baptiste had his first sickle cell crisis at age 2. Through elementary school, he was in and out of the hospital with pain episodes, not knowing why. As he got older, he learned he had sickle cell disease. His red blood cells were forming sickle shapes and getting stuck in his blood stream…