September 19, 2024
In honor of Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month, recognized each September, AABB spoke with members of the blood and biotherapies community who are striving to improve our understanding of sickle cell disease and advance patient care.
Grace M. Lee, MD is an assistant professor of hematology at Duke University. Her current research focuses on neutrophil interactions with sickled red blood cells and the effect of red cell transfusion on such interactions.
Lee earned her Doctor of Medicine at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. She continued her training with a residency in internal medicine at Brown University, a fellowship in hematology/oncology at Duke University and a fellowship in transfusion medicine at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
In 2024, Lee received an AABB Foundation Early-Career Scientific Research Grant to study modulation of neutrophil function by red cell exchange in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD).
Transfusion therapy is a critical and life-saving part of therapy for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). In my role as medical director of apheresis and associate medical director of transfusion services at Duke University, I care for patients with SCD every day. I am interested in understanding the impact of transfusion and red cell exchange on neutrophil function and thrombo-inflammation.
Many patients with SCD receive red cell exchange as part of their chronic therapy. The benefits of red cell exchange have traditionally focused on its effect on red cells. However, increasing evidence demonstrates that other cells, such as neutrophils, also play a critical role in SCD. Work from our laboratory demonstrates that beyond the direct effect on red cells, red cell exchange has a major impact on neutrophil reactivity and reduces neutrophil activation in a HbS-dependent manner.
The long-term goals of my research are to determine if modulation of neutrophil function by transfusion impacts clinical outcome and to determine if inhibition of neutrophil reactivity can be used as a functional transfusion target for patients with SCD. This work could potentially result in personalized transfusion targets for patients which focus on the impact of red cell exchange on their neutrophil function, rather than relying solely on attaining pre-specified target hematocrits or HbS levels, which is currently standard of care.
I would encourage early-career investigators to recognize that the research they are conducting in the blood and biotherapies field is important and has the potential to directly impact patient care and clinical outcomes.
I am incredibly grateful to the AABB Foundation for its support. I was very fortunate to be awarded a K08 after fellowship, but the time between a mentored research award, such as a K08, and first substantial research grant, such as a R01, is very difficult. The support of the AABB Foundation ensures that early-career scholars continue to make research progress and do not lose scientific momentum as they make the difficult transition towards independence.
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