Sickle Cell disease treatment hits medical breakthrough in Detroit
Groundbreaking Sickle Cell treatment
Chantez Sanford was diagnosed with sickle cell disease as an infant. It’s an inherited blood disorder that can cause anemia, organ damage, and sometimes even death — a painful reality his family knows all too well.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - It’s a medical breakthrough in treating sickle cell disease and a Michigan man is proof that it works.
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It’s called ‘Sickle Cell Disease Gene Therapy,’ a new, commercially available treatment that could potentially cure this sometimes deadly disease.
Chantez Sanford was diagnosed with sickle cell disease as an infant. It’s an inherited blood disorder that can cause anemia, organ damage, and sometimes even death, a painful reality his family knows all too well.
"I was in a lot of pain. My first time really experiencing the disease at full force," Sanford said. "Based off my sister’s experience, she ended up passing when she was 20 from complications due to sickle cell anemia."
So when Sanford, who had received monthly blood transfusions at Children’s Hospital of Michigan since he was a child, heard about a newly available gene therapy that could potentially cure his condition, he jumped at the opportunity.
Sanford, who is now a college student in Georgia, took a break from classes to make history by becoming the first patient in Michigan to receive the new gene therapy.
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In December 2025, Sanford underwent a Lyfgenia transfusion, in which the patient’s stem cells are harvested, and a gene is added, allowing the body to make hemoglobin that prevents red blood cells from becoming sickle-shaped.
"We are hoping the new engineered stem cells will grow and take their place, and that happened," said Dr. Sureyya Savasan. "CJ is one of the best so far, in my experience, he did really well."
The 24-year-old is heading back to college with a new outlook on life, feeling healthier every day. Doctors will continue to monitor Sanford, but they say this gene therapy is a major step forward for patients fighting this disease.