Sickle-cell disease (SCD) is a group of blood disorders that includes sickle-cell anemia (SCA). The disease, which affects millions around the globe and can be fatal, is noteworthy in the history of biochemistry and genetics because in 1949 Caltech chemist (and Portland, Oregon native) Linus Pauling and co-workers determined that SCA was a “molecular disease,” it was due to a change in the molecular structure of a single hemoglobin molecule: disease-free individuals carry hemoglobin A, while those with SCA carried a different form called hemoglobin S. found in red blood cells. Work by other scientists eventually established that the disease followed a distinctive genetic pattern in that it was mainly inherited from one’s parents, and that the difference between hemoglobins A and S could be traced to a single nucleotide (“point mutation”) difference in DNA sequences.

There are several treatments for SCD today, but nothing that corrects the fundamental problem: a miscoding in one’s DNA. This situation may change, however, if the work of Mark DeWitt ’06, a postdoc at UC Berkeley’s Innovative Genomics Initiative bears fruit (“With CRISPR, scientists correct genetic mutation that causes sickle cell disease,” 12 Oct 2016, LA Times).

Mark leads a study that has demonstrated that the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology can “fix” the DNA in damaged human cells, and that the corrected cells will grow in mice. Mark tells the Times reporter, “What we have right now, if we can scale it up and make sure it works well, is already enough to form the basis of a clinical trial to cure sickle cell disease with gene editing.”

Over a dozen Reed chemistry graduates of all vintages returned to campus last week for 2017 Reunions. Prof. Arthur Glasfeld and Alan Shusterman (that’s me) were on hand to greet them when they stopped by the Chemistry building, and we joined several for the reunion march and dinner on Saturday night. It was a joy to get back together with old friends, meet their families, and even get acquainted with the friends they used to hang out with. We love you all!

Chemistry attendees included:

• Class of 1992 – Gabriel Brandt, Anitra Ingalls, Kristopher McNeill, Melissa Melby, Bianca Sclavi
• Class of 1993 – Katherine Hamer
• Class of 1997 – Brian Kirschenmann
• Class of 2002 – Sarah Kliegman, Sterling Paramore
• Class of 2003 – Samantha Paramore (Bates)
• Class of 2011 – Alex von Diezmann
• Class of 2012 – Megan Duffy, Joshua Katz, Dana Loutey, Emily Robinson
• Class of 2013 – Rhiana Meade
• Class of 2015 – Drew Gingerich
• Class of 2016 – Sofia Claesson
• Class of 2017 – August Staubus