Help the less-fortunate to have screening and therapies, particularly about sickle cells disease which is the first genetic disease that afflicts mostly the African continent.

Sickle cells disease – caused by an anomaly of the haemoglobin – is the most common genetic disease.

In France this disease afflicts more than 15.000 persons; 400 patients every year are born with this form of anaemia. In France this disease is treated in an adequate way.

Until now, half the children affected by severe sickle cells disease on the sub-Saharan African continent and not treated, die in agony before the fifth birthday.

The Government of Monaco is considering fighting against Sickle cell disease a key measure of its engagement, especially in the Sahelian area. Its means of actions are : supporting the governments and the training schemes, backing up the Sickle cell disease centres of reference, as well as the emerging associations network composed of patients and expert doctors. In that context, “Cordons de Vie” supports actions leading to medicine access as well as medical training for African doctors in order to relieve the most destitute ones.

But, today, only stem cells transplant from the umbilical cord or from the bone marrow (and in the future, gene therapy) can allow patients to definitively be cured from this disease.

In this way, the development of studies, new therapies, stem cells transplantations (particularly stem cells taken from the cord blood) and the widespread release of these solutions at an affordable cost will allow to give hope to the populations affected.