Advancing a New Approach to Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle cell disease is a rare, genetic condition that causes red blood cells to become misshapen and damaged. The condition activates immune cells and blocks blood flow in capillaries, causing injury to many organs and pain daily. Imara is developing an experimental therapy that can prevent the sickling of the red blood cells and also reduce the adhesion of white blood cells to reduce blockage of the blood vessels. We spoke to Rahul Ballal, CEO of Imara, about the therapy, the class of drugs it belongs to, and what the company has done to enroll a population of patients traditionally underrepresented in clinical trials.