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Sickle cell anemia is an inherited blood disorder, characterized primarily by chronic anemia and periodic episodes of pain. The cause of sickle cell anemia is a genetic disorder in which the hemoglobin is defective. When the hemoglobin molecules gives up their oxygen, some will cluster together. This forms long, rod-like structures which cause the red blood cells to stiffen and assume a sickle shape. With the deformity, the cells cannot squeeze through the blood vessels, …

…that switches on production of adult hemoglobin shortly before birth is faulted. Until now, researchers had difficulty finding an animal model that could be used as a test subject. Recently, however, a strain of mice has been engineered which show similar characteristics of sickle cell anemia to humans. Bibliography http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/blood/sickle_cell_anemia_p4.html http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx?refid=761577849 http://www.ascaa.org/