ReviewGene therapy2024
Looking ahead: ethical and social challenges of somatic gene therapy for sickle cell disease in Africa.
Review in Gene therapy, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- Context of data sharing practices in collaborative human genomic research in low and middle income countries: A systematic review.PloS one · 2026Pooled it
- Balancing benefits and burdens: a systematic review on ethical and social dimensions of gene and cell therapies for hereditary blood diseases.BMC medical ethics · 2025Pooled it
- Eco-Bio-Communitarianism and Its Application to Clinical Research, Global Health, Biotechnology, and Environmental Protection.Journal of bioethical inquiry · 2026Article
- Beyond hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: positioning Africa for scalable uptake of innovative sickle cell therapies.BMJ global health · 2026Article
- The Journey of Gene Therapy in Sickle Cell Disease: How Molecular Advances Meet Clinical Care.Cells · 2026Review
- Exploring Affordable Curative Therapy for Sickle Cell Disease in Africa: A Comprehensive Overview.American journal of hematology · 2026Review
- Newborn Screening for Hemoglobinopathies and Thalassemias: Brief History, Recent Activities, and Global Status-2026.International journal of neonatal screening · 2026Review
- From Bench to Bedside: Ethical and Clinical Best Practices for Genome Editing Applications.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- From policy to practice: World Health Organization's contribution to safer blood transfusions in Africa for sickle cell management - a review.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2026Review
- The Sickle Africa Data Coordinating Centre (SADaCC): a data science hub for interdisciplinary sickle cell disease research and training.Database : the journal of biological databases and curation · 2026Article
- Article
- End-of-Life Care in Sickle Cell Disease and Transfusion-Dependent β-Thalassemia: Clinical, Psychosocial, and Ethical Considerations.Mediterranean journal of hematology and infectious diseases · 2026Review
- Gene Therapy: Transforming the Battle Against Pancreatic Cancer.Current gene therapy · 2026Review
- Sickle Cell Disease and Gene Therapy Among African Americans: A Dilemma and Challenge.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2025Review
- Emerging Therapies for Sickle Cell Disease: From Symptom Management to Curative Gene Therapy.Cureus · 2025Review
- Curative Therapies for Hemophilias and Hemoglobinopathies in Adults: Immune, Gene, and Stem Cell Approaches in a Global Context.Biomedicines · 2025Review
- The dawn of a cure for sickle cell disease through CRISPR-based treatment: A critical test of equity in public health genomics.Annals of human genetics · 2025Review
- Genome editing strategies for targeted correction of β-globin mutation in sickle cell disease: From bench to bedside.Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy · 2025Review
- Science and Society: Pathways to Equitable Access and Delivery of Genomics Medicine in Africa.Current genetic medicine reports · 2025Review
- Evolving Landscape of Sickle Cell Anemia Management in Africa: A Critical Review.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Somatic gene therapy will be one of the most exciting practices of genetic medicine in Africa and is primed to offer a "new life" for persons living with sickle cell disease (SCD). Recently, successful gene therapy trials for SCD in the USA have sparked a ray of hope within the SCD community in Africa. However, the high cost, estimated to exceed 1.5 million USD, continues to be a major concern for many stakeholders. While affordability is a key global health equity consideration, it is equally important to reflect on other ethical, legal and social issues (ELSIs) that may impact the responsible implementation of gene therapy for SCD in Africa. These include informed consent comprehension, risk of therapeutic misestimation and optimistic bias; priorities for SCD therapy trials; dearth of ethical and regulatory oversight for gene therapy in many African countries; identifying a favourable risk-benefit ratio; criteria for the selection of trial participants; decisional conflict in consent; standards of care; bounded justice; and genetic tourism. Given these ELSIs, we suggest that researchers, pharma, funders, global health agencies, ethics committees, science councils and SCD patient support/advocacy groups should work together to co-develop: (1) patient-centric governance for gene therapy in Africa, (2) public engagement and education materials, and (3) decision making toolkits for trial participants. It is also critical to establish harmonised ethical and regulatory frameworks for gene therapy in Africa, and for global health agencies to accelerate access to basic care for SCD in Africa, while simultaneously strengthening capacity for gene therapy.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.