Latest news with #FoundationforSickleCellDiseaseResearch
New York Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Deion Sanders dealing with mystery health issue as he stays away from Colorado
Colorado coach Deion Sanders is dealing with an unknown health issue that has kept him away from recent contract-stipulated summer football camps in Boulder, Colo., according to USA Today. Sanders also did not attend the Foundation for Sickle Cell Disease Research's annual symposium Sunday despite being the keynote speaker due to an 'unavoidable last-minute scheduling change' that left him 'unable to attend,' the foundation tweeted on June 5. Deion Sanders Jr., the son of the NFL Hall of Famer, said Sunday on a YouTube livestream from the family's home in Texas that his father is 'feeling well' but did not offer many specifics. Advertisement 4 Deion Sanders at Colorado's spring game on April 19, 2025. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect 'He'll tell y'all soon enough what he going through, what he went through,' Deion Jr. said, per USA Today. 'When we get back in Boulder, I don't know. I'm waiting until my dad leaves. When he leaves, then I'll go. Until then, I'm gonna sit here with him.' Advertisement Sanders, 57, is known for being in the spotlight and often is quite visible across social media platforms, making his public absence all the more startling. He attended the school's summer camps in each of the past two years since being hired in December 2022, according to USA Today. The promotional material on the school's athletics website features Sanders next to the listed dates, which included June 3 and 5 events along with youth football camps this Tuesday and Wednesday and a women's clinic Thursday. 4 The camps that Colorado lists with Sanders in the promotional material. Advertisement Sanders attended the school's spring game April 19 and was with his son, Shedeur, during his slide in the NFL draft the following week, but has not done many interviews since the quarterback's shocking fall to the fifth round. Sanders told former Patriots star cornerback Asante Samuel on the latter's podcast in late May that 'what I'm dealing with right now is at a whole other level' after Samuel said he hopes he feels better. The college head coach said he hasn't had energy, but then promoted a product so it's possible those points may have been correlated. 4 Deion Sanders during his talk with Asante Samuel. @saywhatneedstobesaid/YouTube Advertisement 'I've done no media, I've done nothing now … for a minute,' Sanders said. 'Coming on with you, I ain't been with nobody for a minute. I've lost about 14 pounds, I'm coming back, but I needed this.' Sanders' recent tweets have mostly been religious and praising God, aside from one where he showed a bucket filled with 'Fresh eggs from the SANDERS CHICKENS!' He last posted to X on Monday morning. 'I know you're faced with a task that seems like it's impossible to come out of this with a win,' Sanders said. 'The enemy wants your mind & he wants it to doubt that GOD CAN! You got this but u gotta BELIEVE all the thru this & then after. You will have the victory. #CoachPrime.' Sanders has dealt with health issues in recent years, including surgery in 2023 to fix blood clots in his left leg, per ESPN. 4 Deion Sanders during the spring game. Getty Images for ONIT The former Cowboys star had two toes on his left foot amputated in 2022, and had undergone 10 surgeries on his left leg as of 2023, according to a USA Today report at the time.
Associated Press
15-04-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
Vascarta commences Proof of Concept Phase 1 clinical study of VAS-101 in sickle cell disease in the United States
SUMMIT, N.J. , April 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A first in human proof of concept phase I clinical study of VAS-101 (Vasceptor®; topical curcumin gel) in sickle cell disease (SCD) is underway. The study is being conducted by the Foundation for Sickle Cell Disease Research (FSCDR) in Hollywood, Florida, under the supervision of the principal investigator, Dr. Gershwin Blyden. Ten (10) patients with sickle cell disease will be treated with VAS-101 twice per week over 4 weeks for a total of 8 treatments; their blood will be drawn weekly. Five (5) patients will be treated topically on their forearm and five (5) patients will be treated sublingually (under the tongue), the duration of treatment is 29 days. The primary study objectives are: (1) assess the safety and tolerability of VAS-101; and (2) assess its effects on impaired blood flow dynamics, including adhesion molecule expression and erythrocyte fragility parameters. The objective assessment of VAS-101 impact on red blood cell health will be performed by Functional Fluidics utilizing their proprietary assays at their specialty laboratory in Detroit, Michigan. Secondary study objectives include (1) an evaluation of the effect of VAS-101 on inflammatory markers associated with the activation of sterile inflammation over 28 days; (2) determination of the mean change in red blood cell sickling kinetics and oxygen dissociation curves will be assessed by The Biophysical Chemistry Section, Laboratory of Chemical Physics at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) in Bethesda, Maryland; and (3) assessment of the pain-relieving benefit and opioid-sparing effect of VAS-101. Dr. Lanetta Bronté-Hall, President of FSCDR, stated, 'I'm proud that we are taking part in Vascarta's pilot study, which explores a new transdermal approach to pain management for individuals living with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). Pain remains one of the most challenging and life-disrupting aspects of this disease, and new approaches are urgently needed. While early in development, this research represents an important step toward finding new options that could one day help ease that burden. At FSCDR, we are committed to advancing care and bringing hope to the SCD community through innovation and collaboration.' About VAS101 VAS-101 (developed by Vascarta Inc., Summit, NJ) is a topical curcumin formulation that employs a patented transdermal delivery technology designed to increase bioavailability. A published study in the PNAS Nexus Journal indicated that VAS-101 'has the potential to ameliorate chronic pain, improve RBC stability, and reduce inflammatory consequences of SCD.' * While Curcumin possesses many beneficial attributes such as safety, anti-sickling, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, its clinical translational potential has been constrained due to limited bioavailability from oral administration. About Sickle Cell Disease Sickle cell disease is the most common inherited genetic disorder that affects primarily African American and non – Hispanic Black individuals in the United States. SCD associated complications include anemia, acute and chronic pain, infections, pneumonia and acute chest syndrome, stroke, kidney, liver, and heart disease. Current estimates indicate there are >165,000 cases of SCD in the USA and 45,000 in European Union countries. The estimated life expectancy of those with sickle cell disease in the USA is more than 20 years shorter than the average expected lifespan. SCD is caused by a single point mutation in the globin gene leading to sickling of red blood cells. It is characterized by severe pain, inflammation, oxidative stress, and organ damage, which contribute to the poor quality of life and reduced survival. Recently approved SCD therapies do not mitigate pain, and patients are often on multiple drugs which often have undesirable side effects. The unmet medical need for most SCD sufferers is significant. Better therapies that improve outcomes, optimize compliance for patients of all ages, minimize the need for blood transfusions, and reduce the need for chronic administration of potentially harmful pain medications are needed. Dr. Joel Friedman, Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Vascarta Scientific Founder & Head, Scientific Advisory Board, stated, 'The preclinical results to date showing pain reduction and therapeutic efficacy resulting from our novel approach of targeting red blood cell instability, neuro-inflammation and vascular inflammation bodes well for the development of a widely accessible therapy that prevents and treats many if not most of the clinical consequences of SCD.' Dr. Friedman is the inventor of VAS-101 which is exclusively licensed to Vascarta from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Bronx, New York, USA). Dr. Richard Prince, Vascarta Chairman, CEO & President commented, 'We are excited at the prospect of bringing relief to SCD sufferers who have limited therapeutic options. VAS-101 has the potential to become the new standard of care in the management of SCD.' * 'Targeting sickle cell pathobiology and pain with novel transdermal curcumin' About Vascarta Vascarta is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company exploring efficient transdermal delivery of pharmaceuticals to address inflammatory conditions with an initial focus on sickle cell disease and osteoarthritis. To learn more, contact Vascarta Chairman, CEO & President, Dr. Richard Prince, at [email protected]. Media requests should be directed to David Hymson at [email protected]. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Vascarta Inc
