Another milestone acheivement for INNOVHEM!

What an exciting moment when you open an inconspicuous envelope and find a copy of your recently approved patent that was filed in the United States inside!

This milestone is a momentous accomplishment for INNVOHEM as this patent is one of the core building blocks that will allow INNOVHEM to move forward with our goal to help improve the quality of life of sickle cell patients!

How exactly? Well, this patent is for a technique that allows us to measure the amount of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) in single red blood cells. In sickle cell disease (SCD), elevated levels of HbF in red blood cells protects the cells against sickling. If sufficient cells have elevated HbF content and are protected from sickling, the deleterious effects of SCD such as vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs) can be prevented.

We will use this technique to measure HbF expression in individual red blood cells to determine the distribution of HbF in a patient’s red blood cells. This information will then be used in combination with other biological data obtained from routine lab analysis, and our algorithm will be able to predict the risk of VOC and assist the physician in adjusting the patients care in order to avoid these harmful and painful events.

This diagnostic tool is already under development, and soon we will be starting the prospective study to validate its effectiveness! Be sure to check back soon to hear about the progress we are making!