Children with sickle cell disease have a high risk of stroke and cognitive deficits caused in part by poor blood flow to the brain. This project will assess the feasibility of a new, low-cost, non-invasive technology, known as diffuse correlation spectroscopy, to quantify blood flow in the brain in sickle cell patients through a complementary set of experiments in model systems, mice with sickle cell disease, and human patients. The long-term goal of our research is to use diffuse correlation spectroscopy for longitudinal evaluation of blood flow in children with sickle cell disease in order to reduce the incidence of stroke, to guide therapies, and to ultimately improve outcomes.
