Sickle cell disease

Carissa Juarez knew she was a silent carrier of the sickle cell trait. But when her newborn daughter, Jalyssa Batista-Juarez, was diagnosed with the SS genotype of sickle cell, a severe form of the disease, Juarez’s relationship with the illness transformed.

The treatments, both produced by Boston-area companies, join 32 other approved gene therapies and are approved to treat the disease in the United States.

The newborn looks perfect — ten fingers, ten toes and a headful of hair. But a blood test may tell a different story.