AI can predict painful crises in sickle cell disease before they strike

For millions living with sickle cell disease, pain often arrives like a storm — sudden, crippling, and unpredictable. But a London-based startup, Sanius Health, might just be changing that story. Their new AI-driven platform can forecast these painful episodes, known as vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs), before they strike.

As founder and CEO Orlando Agrippa puts it, "Imagine knowing a crisis is coming before it strikes. That's the reality we're building." His company claims its predictive analytics can detect looming crises with 92% sensitivity, turning guesswork into foresight and reaction into prevention.

How does it work?

At the heart of this innovation lies data — lots of it. Sanius Health's system pulls from:

• Wearables: activity, heart rate, sleep quality
• Patient-reported outcomes: mood, fatigue, hydration
• Environmental and clinical metrics

These streams feed into machine-learning models that spot early physiological and behavioral shifts. When certain thresholds are met, both patients and clinicians receive alerts.

What happens next is refreshingly human.

• Patients might choose to rest, hydrate, or check in with their doctor.
• Clinicians, armed with foresight, can tweak treatments or step in early to avoid hospitalization.

Agrippa explains, "Our AI gives patients back a sense of control over their condition, and it gives clinicians vital time to act before a crisis escalates."

The system slots neatly into daily life. It's not another gadget to juggle, but a quiet companion — watching patterns, whispering warnings, and empowering patients to live with less fear.

Why does it matter?

Because this isn't just about numbers — it's about dignity. For many patients, sickle cell disease means uncertainty, endless ER visits, and chronic anxiety. VOCs are the main culprit behind that suffering, leading to long hospital stays and even organ damage.

By predicting crises days in advance, Sanius Health's AI is rewriting the playbook:

• Fewer emergency visits
• Shorter hospital stays
• Better quality of life

Patients using the system in real-world studies reported feeling more confident and less anxious. Agrippa insists that kind of feedback matters as much as the metrics. "At the end of the day, this is about people, not just predictions," he says. "These patients trust us with their most personal data, and that trust is sacred."

Ethics sit at the core of the design. Every prediction is transparent, consent-based, and explained to patients. It's a tech solution built not just with code, but with compassion.

The context

Sickle cell disease affects around eight million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization — a staggering number for a condition still underrepresented in innovation.

Sanius Health has already presented its findings at major haematology conferences like ASH, showcasing results from a study of 399 patients and over 1.2 million data points. Their AI detected measurable declines in health indicators up to a week before hospitalization.

And this is only the beginning. With what Agrippa calls "the world's largest living patient registry in sickle cell disease," Sanius Health plans to scale globally — from London to Lagos, Mumbai to the Middle East.

"We believe this is the future of rare disease care," Agrippa says. "Every patient deserves to live without fear of the unknown. With AI, we can replace uncertainty with foresight, and pain with preparedness."

That's not just a promise — it's a vision of healthcare where technology doesn't replace empathy; it amplifies it.