Jennell White, PhD

Dr. Jennell White is a post-doctoral research fellow in the lab of Dr. Patrick Hines at the Wayne State University School of Medicine (WSU-SOM) in the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. White’s research focuses on mechanisms regulating sickle erythrocyte adhesive interactions during physiologic flow conditions. Dr. White co-developed a process to utilize microliter whole blood volumes to establish normal ranges of adhesion indices in patients with SCD, to establish the relationship of standardized adhesion indices to vaso-occlusive pathology, and to assess the effect of disease modifying therapies. This process has been utilized by numerous pharmaceutical companies and research scientists to objectively assess the effect of a wide range of therapies using adhesion as a biomarker. The emergences of novel, anti-adhesive therapies for sickle cell disease necessitate the adoption of standardized erythrocyte adhesion bioassays to define the relationship of adhesion to vaso-occlusive pathology and assess the effect of anti-adhesive drug therapy. Dr. White is optimistic that her research will help to address this unmet need.