beta-thalassemia

noun

be·​ta-thal·​as·​se·​mia ˈbā-tə-ˌtha-lə-ˈsē-mē-ə 

: thalassemia in which the longer hemoglobin chain is affected and which comprises Cooley's anemia in the homozygous condition and thalassemia minor in the heterozygous condition

Examples of beta-thalassemia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And 39 out of 42 beta-thalassemia patients no longer needed blood or bone marrow transplants—the standard treatment for this disease—for one year after the exa-cel intervention. —Sara Reardon, Scientific American, 8 Dec. 2023

One of them, which treats a blood disorder called beta-thalassemia, costs $2.8 million. —Emily Mullin, WIRED, 10 July 2023

All eyes right now are on exa-cel, a gene-editing therapy that awaits regulatory approvals for use in two conditions — sickle cell disease and transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia. —The Motley Fool, Dallas News, 10 May 2023

Other licensed gene therapies, like Novartis’s Zolgensma for spinal muscular dystrophy and Bluebird bio’s Zynteglo for beta-thalassemia, cost $2.1 million and $2.8 million, respectively. —Megan Molteni, STAT, 7 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1962, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

beta-thalassemia

noun

be·​ta-thal·​as·​se·​mia

variants or β-thalassemia or British beta-thalassaemia or β-thalassaemia

-ˌthal-ə-ˈsē-mē-ə

: thalassemia in which the hemoglobin chains designated beta are affected and which comprises Cooley's anemia in the homozygous condition and thalassemia minor in the heterozygous condition compare alpha-thalassemia