AFRO: Can you explain in simple terms what “genetic modifiers” of sickle cell are? Ambroise Wonkam: Sickle cell disease is a genetic condition that affects red blood cells. For example, kidney disease and sickle cell disease are modified by three genes: APOL1, alpha thalassemia and HMOX1. Importantly, this was in people without sickle cell, suggesting that knowledge we have from sickle cell can also help the general population. If you don’t study the African population, you refuse the opportunity of discovering new potential targets for sickle cell disease therapeutics.