## hpr4027 :: Today I learnt (2023-12-18)

 
TIL 1
and 2 - a cure for Sickle Cell Anemia / fetal hemoglobin
Note: many of the words used here have
alternative UK (and Commonwealth) spellings versus USA spellings. I am
using the USA versions throughout, though I personally prefer the UK
versions with their diphthongs and ligatures
like fœtal, but I blame my education for the
bias!
TLDR 1: A potential cure was approved in the UK in November 2023
for the blood disorder called Sickle Cell Anemia.
TLDR 2: The oxygen-carrying pigment in fetuses is different from
that in adults, and changes after birth.

I am interested in all types of science, but particularly in Biology
of all sorts (I have a BSc degree in Zoology).
I was listening to a podcast where the subject of a potential
treatment for Sickle Cell Anemia was discussed:

Sickle Cell Disease is an inherited blood disorder resulting in
anemia which has many complications and can be fatal. It is caused by an
abnormality in haemoglobin. It's a rather complex subject which we will
not go into here, though the Wikipedia
page has a lot of useful information.
A new treatment has been developed using genetic manipulation (CRISPR),
which increases the amount of fetal hemoglobin (Hemoglobin F) produced
by the stem cells in the bone marrow.
Red blood cells with Hemoglobin F do not form the sickle shape.

A "foetus" (UK) or "fetus" (US) is the unborn offspring that
develops from an animal embryo.
Hemoglobin is the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells. In the
fetus it is different from that in the adult, and is called
Hemoglobin F. Normally the fetal form is replaced by the adult
form after birth in the first 2-4 months.
Quote from Wikipedia: Hemoglobin F has a different composition
than adult forms of hemoglobin, allowing it to bind (or attach to)
oxygen more strongly; this in turn enables the developing fetus to
retrieve oxygen from the mother's bloodstream, which occurs through the
placenta found in the mother's uterus.
The change from fetal to adult haemoglobin has been known about for
many years (75+?) but I had never heard of it until recently.

Links

About the words "foetal", "fœtal" and "fetal":

Wikipedia:
Diphthong
Wikipedia:
Ligature (writing)

Wikipedia:
Sickle Cell Disease
Wikipedia:
CRISPR gene editing
Wikipedia:
Fetus
Wikipedia:
Hemoglobin
Wikipedia:
Fetal hemoglobin
Wikipedia:
Malaria

TIL 3 - Perl's birthday

The Perl scripting language was "born" in 1987 on December
18th.
See the Github
commit for the first released version
I'm a long-time devotee of Perl, and my birthday is the same day! I
didn't know this until today ☺
I'm more than twice as old though...
I find it quite interesting to look at the original ideas behind
Perl, which you can see on Github.

Links

Perl website
First
Github commit
Wikipedia:
Perl


