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Biophysical Studies Aimed at Potential Therapies of Hemoglobin Associated Diseases

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abstract
Hemoglobin (Hb), the most abundant protein found in the red blood cell (RBC), carries gases like oxygen and carbon dioxide throughout the body. However, various conditions, both genetic and environmental, can impede its ability to perform this (and other) necessary functions. We studied some of the most imperative properties of Hb and the RBC as they pertain to sickle cell disease (SCD): oxygen affinity and RBC deformability. A Hemox Analyzer, a dual-wavelength spectrophotometer, was used to measure oxygen affinity in sRBC treated with a potential drug intended to improve oxygen affinity. Deformability, the ability of the cells to elongate when exposed to shear, was measured as a function of osmotic pressure in a refurbished Technicon Ektacytometer. This characteristic of the cells is extremely important, especially in SCD, as rigid cells 1) are unable to traverse the narrow capillaries and 2) are more likely to get filtered out by the spleen prematurely, leading to severe anemia. The effects of nitric oxide (NO) and its cogeners were rigorously tested and were shown to improve deformability under specific conditions.
subject
carbon monoxide
ektacytometry
hemoglobin
nitric oxide
nitrite
sickle cell disease
contributor
Belanger, Andrea Mary (author)
Kim-Shapiro, Daniel B (committee chair)
Cho, Samuel S (committee member)
Macosko, Jed (committee member)
Kerr, William (committee member)
date
2015-06-23T08:35:44Z (accessioned)
2016-06-22T08:30:10Z (available)
2015 (issued)
degree
Physics (discipline)
embargo
2016-06-22 (terms)
identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/10339/57124 (uri)
language
en (iso)
publisher
Wake Forest University
title
Biophysical Studies Aimed at Potential Therapies of Hemoglobin Associated Diseases
type
Dissertation

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