Thomas D Coates, MD

I primarily work in two areas of basic and translational research: 1) the role of inflammation in the genesis of vascular disease in sickle cell disease; 2) the detection and management of transfusion related iron overload. Our research employs various engineering-intensive methodologies (MRI, laser Doppler flow, digital image analysis, signal processing) to explore the basic mechanisms of sickle cell disease and to measure the effect of various treatment modalities. We use direct measures of microvascular blood flow to monitor the process of vasoocclusion and relate it to simultaneous measures of autonomic nervous system function. These methodologies translate in measurements that can be used to follow patients clinically. In collaboration with members of the Cardiology, Pulmonology, and Radiology Departments at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Physiology/Biophysics at the Keck School of Medicine, we devised methods to measure the sickling process in human sickle cell subjects and relate these measurements to clinical factors that modulate disease severity.

• Efficacy and safety of luspatercept in non-transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia: long-term results from the BEYOND study. Blood Adv. 2025 Dec 09; 9(23):6108-6119.. View in PubMed
• Prevalence and Significance of Pancreatic Iron in Transfusion-Dependent Sickle Cell Disease. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2025 Aug; 72(8):e31780.. View in PubMed
• Black Sexual Minority Men’s Experiences in MPowerment Interventions: Implications for HIV Prevention. Int J Behav Med. 2025 Jun; 32(3):360-370.. View in PubMed
• Non-Transfusion-Dependent Thalassemia: An Image Gallery Worth a Thousand Words. Am J Hematol. 2025 Apr; 100(4):687-694.. View in PubMed
• Safety and efficacy of a surgical ambulatory care pathway for superficial abscesses. ANZ J Surg. 2025 Mar 12.. View in PubMed
• Long-term efficacy and safety of luspatercept for the treatment of anaemia in patients with transfusion-dependent β-thalassaemia (BELIEVE): final results from a phase 3 randomised trial. Lancet Haematol. 2025 Mar; 12(3):e180-e189.. View in PubMed
• Management of iron overload: lessons from transfusion-dependent hemoglobinopathies. Blood. 2025 01 23; 145(4):359-371.. View in PubMed
• Introduction to a How I Treat series on iron overload in hematologic disorders. Blood. 2025 Jan 23; 145(4):349-350.. View in PubMed
• Health System Factors Influencing the Integration of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis into Antenatal and Postnatal Clinic Services in Cape Town, South Africa. Glob Health Sci Pract. 2024 Dec 20; 12(6).. View in PubMed
• Core components of male-specific person-centred HIV care: a qualitative analysis from client and healthcare worker perspectives in Malawi. BMJ Public Health. 2024 Dec; 2(2):e001100.. View in PubMed
• Transfusional hemosiderosis in childhood cancer patients and survivors. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2024 Oct; 71(10):e31220.. View in PubMed
• Significant pituitary siderosis is common in transfusion-dependent sickle cell disease. Blood. 2024 09 26; 144(13):1457-1459.. View in PubMed
• A de novo germline RUNX1 variant preceding development of concurrent T-lymphoblastic leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome. Leuk Lymphoma. 2024 Sep; 65(9):1357-1361.. View in PubMed
• Integration of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) services for pregnant and breastfeeding women in eight primary care clinics: results of an implementation science study. BMC Glob Public Health. 2024 Aug 26; 2(1):57.. View in PubMed
• Introduction to a review series on globin disorders. Blood. 2024 08 22; 144(8):797-798.. View in PubMed
• Moderate-severe beta-thalassemia intermedia phenotype caused by sextuplicated alpha-globin gene allele in two beta-thalassemia carriers. Am J Hematol. 2024 08; 99(8):1655-1658.. View in PubMed
• Systematic review and evidence gap assessment of the clinical, quality of life, and economic burden of alpha-thalassemia. EJHaem. 2024 Jun; 5(3):541-547.. View in PubMed
• National Quality Indicators in Pediatric Sickle Cell Anemia. Pediatrics. 2024 Apr 01; 153(4).. View in PubMed
• Decreased erythrocyte aggregation in Glenn and Fontan: univentricular circulation as a rheologic disease model. Pediatr Res. 2024 Apr; 95(5):1335-1345.. View in PubMed
• Higher hemoglobin is better in thalassemia. Blood. 2024 03 07; 143(10):842-844.. View in PubMed
• Αlpha-thalassemia: A practical overview. Blood Rev. 2024 03; 64:101165.. View in PubMed
• Beat-to-beat analysis of hemodynamic response to mental and psychological stress in sickle cell anemia. J Sick Cell Dis. 2024; 1(1).. View in PubMed
• COVID-19, Vaccine Hesitancy, and HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Among Black Sexual Minority Men. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2023 12 15; 94(5):387-394.. View in PubMed
• Splenic iron decreases without change in volume or liver parameters during luspatercept therapy. Blood. 2023 11 30; 142(22):1932-1934.. View in PubMed
• Integration of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) services for pregnant and breastfeeding women in eight primary care clinics: results of an implementation science study. Res Sq. 2023 Nov 23.. View in PubMed
• Functional near-infrared spectroscopy-based prefrontal cortex oxygenation during working memory tasks in sickle cell disease. Neurophotonics. 2023 Oct; 10(4):045004.. View in PubMed
• Monkeypox-Related Stigma and Vaccine Challenges as a Barrier to HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis among Black Sexual Minority Men. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 07 08; 20(14).. View in PubMed
• Brain BOLD and NIRS response to hyperoxic challenge in sickle cell disease and chronic anemias. Magn Reson Imaging. 2023 07; 100:26-35.. View in PubMed
• McDAPS: A multi-channel physiological signals display and analysis system for clinical researchers. SoftwareX. 2023 Jul; 23.. View in PubMed
• Management of luspatercept therapy in patients with transfusion-dependent β-thalassaemia. Br J Haematol. 2023 06; 201(5):824-831.. View in PubMed
• Consensus guidelines for diagnosis and management of anemia in epidermolysis bullosa. Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2023 02 23; 18(1):38.. View in PubMed
• Health care workers’ perceptions and bias toward men as HIV clients in Malawi and Mozambique: A qualitative study. PLOS Glob Public Health. 2023; 3(10):e0001356.. View in PubMed
• Consensus definition of essential, optimal, and suggested components of a pediatric sickle cell disease center. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2023 01; 70(1):e29961.. View in PubMed
• Luspatercept for the treatment of anaemia in non-transfusion-dependent β-thalassaemia (BEYOND): a phase 2, randomised, double-blind, multicentre, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet Haematol. 2022 Oct; 9(10):e733-e744.. View in PubMed
• Early initiation of disease-modifying therapy can impede or prevent diffuse myocardial fibrosis in sickle cell anemia. Blood. 2022 09 15; 140(11):1322-1324.. View in PubMed
• Effects of B1+ Heterogeneity on Spin Echo-Based Liver Iron Estimates. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2022 05; 55(5):1419-1425.. View in PubMed
• A Peer-Led Online Community to Increase HIV Self-Testing Among African American and Latinx MSM: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2022 05 01; 90(1):20-26.. View in PubMed
• Concordance with comprehensive iron assessment, hepatitis A vaccination, and hepatitis B vaccination recommendations among patients with sickle cell disease and thalassaemia receiving chronic transfusions: an analysis from the Centers for Disease Control haemoglobinopathy blood safety project. Br J Haematol. 2021 12; 195(5):e160-e164.. View in PubMed
• Building self-advocacy in HIV care: the use of role-play to examine healthcare access for HIV-positive MSM in rural South Africa. Glob Health Promot. 2021 09; 28(3):32-40.. View in PubMed
• Individual red blood cell nitric oxide production in sickle cell anemia: Nitric oxide production is increased and sickle shaped cells have unique morphologic change compared to discoid cells. Free Radic Biol Med. 2021 08 01; 171:143-155.. View in PubMed
• Calibration of T2 oximetry MRI for subjects with sickle cell disease. Magn Reson Med. 2021 08; 86(2):1019-1028.. View in PubMed
• Reduced global cerebral oxygen metabolic rate in sickle cell disease and chronic anemias. Am J Hematol. 2021 08 01; 96(8):901-913.. View in PubMed
• Identifying elevated risk for future pain crises in sickle-cell disease using photoplethysmogram patterns measured during sleep: A machine learning approach. Front Digit Health. 2021 Jul; 3.. View in PubMed
• Oral ferroportin inhibitor vamifeport for improving iron homeostasis and erythropoiesis in β-thalassemia: current evidence and future clinical development. Expert Rev Hematol. 2021 07; 14(7):633-644.. View in PubMed
• Loss of alpha globin genes is associated with improved microvascular function in patients with sickle cell anemia. Am J Hematol. 2021 05 01; 96(5):E165-E168.. View in PubMed
• Kidney iron deposition by R2* is associated with haemolysis and urinary iron. Br J Haematol. 2021 05; 193(3):633-636.. View in PubMed
• Loss of alpha-globin genes in human subjects is associated with improved nitric oxide-mediated vascular perfusion. Am J Hematol. 2021 03 01; 96(3):277-281.. View in PubMed
• Tract-specific analysis and neurocognitive functioning in sickle cell patients without history of overt stroke. Brain Behav. 2021 03; 11(3):e01978.. View in PubMed
• Nocturnal peripheral vasoconstriction predicts the frequency of severe acute pain episodes in children with sickle cell disease. Am J Hematol. 2021 01; 96(1):60-68.. View in PubMed
• Tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity and myocardial tissue Doppler parameters predict mortality in a cohort of patients with sickle cell disease spanning from pediatric to adult age groups – revisiting this controversial concept after 16 years of additional evidence. Am J Hematol. 2021 01; 96(1):31-39.. View in PubMed
• Vasoconstriction Response to Mental Stress in Sickle Cell Disease: The Role of the Cardiac and Vascular Baroreflexes. Front Physiol. 2021; 12:698209.. View in PubMed
• Transient Hypoxia Model Revealed Cerebrovascular Impairment in Anemia Using BOLD MRI and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2020 11; 52(5):1400-1412.. View in PubMed
• Progressive vasoconstriction with sequential thermal stimulation indicates vascular dysautonomia in sickle cell disease. Blood. 2020 09 03; 136(10):1191-1200.. View in PubMed
• Parvovirus B19 infection in sickle cell disease: An analysis from the Centers for Disease Control haemoglobinopathy blood surveillance project. Transfus Med. 2020 Jun; 30(3):226-230.. View in PubMed
• Fixing the MRI R2-iron calibration in liver. Am J Hematol. 2020 05; 95(5):E120-E122.. View in PubMed
• Aura and mental stress are associated with reports of pain in sickle cell disease-a pilot study using a mobile application. Am J Hematol. 2020 04; 95(4):E101-E103.. View in PubMed
• A Phase 3 Trial of Luspatercept in Patients with Transfusion-Dependent β-Thalassemia. N Engl J Med. 2020 03 26; 382(13):1219-1231.. View in PubMed
• Autonomically-mediated decrease in microvascular blood flow due to mental stress and pain in sickle cell disease: A target for neuromodulatory interventions. Complement Ther Med. 2020 Mar; 49:102334.. View in PubMed
• Mental stress causes vasoconstriction in subjects with sickle cell disease and in normal controls. Haematologica. 2020 01; 105(1):83-90.. View in PubMed
• PrEP implementation in pregnant and post-partum women. Lancet HIV. 2020 01; 7(1):e5-e6.. View in PubMed
• Zwakala Ndoda: a cluster and individually randomized trial aimed at improving testing, linkage, and adherence to treatment for hard-to reach men in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Trials. 2019 Dec 30; 20(1):798.. View in PubMed
• Iron overload in transfusion-dependent patients. Hematology Am Soc Hematol Educ Program. 2019 12 06; 2019(1):337-344.. View in PubMed
• How social stigma sustains the HIV treatment gap for MSM in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Glob Health Promot. 2019 12; 26(4):6-13.. View in PubMed
• Vaso-Occlusion in Sickle Cell Disease: Is Autonomic Dysregulation of the Microvasculature the Trigger? J Clin Med. 2019 Oct 15; 8(10).. View in PubMed
• Immunosuppressive therapy for pediatric aplastic anemia: a North American Pediatric Aplastic Anemia Consortium study. Haematologica. 2019 10; 104(10):1974-1983.. View in PubMed
• Anemia predicts lower white matter volume and cognitive performance in sickle and non-sickle cell anemia syndrome. Am J Hematol. 2019 10; 94(10):1055-1065.. View in PubMed
• Erythrocyte and plasma oxidative stress appears to be compensated in patients with sickle cell disease during a period of relative health, despite the presence of known oxidative agents. Free Radic Biol Med. 2019 09; 141:408-415.. View in PubMed
• Identifying Clinical and Research Priorities in Sickle Cell Lung Disease. An Official American Thoracic Society Workshop Report. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2019 09; 16(9):e17-e32.. View in PubMed
• Shared Care for Adults with Sickle Cell Disease: An Analysis of Care from Eight Health Systems. J Clin Med. 2019 Aug 02; 8(8).. View in PubMed
• Modelling the potential impact of providing preexposure prophylaxis in pregnant and breastfeeding women in South Africa. AIDS. 2019 07 01; 33(8):1391-1395.. View in PubMed
• Sickle cell microvascular paradox-oxygen supply-demand mismatch. Am J Hematol. 2019 06; 94(6):678-688.. View in PubMed
• Introduction to a review series on human neutrophils. Blood. 2019 05 16; 133(20):2111-2112.. View in PubMed
• White matter has impaired resting oxygen delivery in sickle cell patients. Am J Hematol. 2019 04; 94(4):467-474.. View in PubMed
• Introduction to a review series on iron metabolism and its disorders. Blood. 2019 01 03; 133(1):1-2.. View in PubMed
• Sickle Cell Disease Subjects Have a Distinct Abnormal Autonomic Phenotype Characterized by Peripheral Vasoconstriction With Blunted Cardiac Response to Head-Up Tilt. Front Physiol. 2019; 10:381.. View in PubMed
• Introduction to a How I Treat series on sickle cell disease and thalassemia. Blood. 2018 10 25; 132(17):1729-1730.. View in PubMed
• Increased brain iron deposition in patients with sickle cell disease: an MRI quantitative susceptibility mapping study. Blood. 2018 10 11; 132(15):1618-1621.. View in PubMed
• Effectiveness of Clinical Decision Support Based Intervention in the Improvement of Care for Adult Sickle Cell Disease Patients in Primary Care. J Am Board Fam Med. 2018 Sep-Oct; 31(5):812-816.. View in PubMed
• You don’t always get what you want: Does hypoxia cause sickle cell crisis? Am J Hematol. 2018 08; 93(4):475-477.. View in PubMed
• Diminished cerebral oxygen extraction and metabolic rate in sickle cell disease using T2 relaxation under spin tagging MRI. Magn Reson Med. 2018 07; 80(1):294-303.. View in PubMed
• Pseudo continuous arterial spin labeling quantification in anemic subjects with hyperemic cerebral blood flow. Magn Reson Imaging. 2018 04; 47:137-146.. View in PubMed
• ORCHESTRAL FULLY CONVOLUTIONAL NETWORKS FOR SMALL LESION SEGMENTATION IN BRAIN MRI. Proc IEEE Int Symp Biomed Imaging. 2018 Apr; 2018:889-892.. View in PubMed
• Ultra-short echo time images quantify high liver iron. Magn Reson Med. 2018 03; 79(3):1579-1585.. View in PubMed
• Risk perception and sex behaviour in pregnancy and breastfeeding in high HIV prevalence settings: Programmatic implications for PrEP delivery. PLoS One. 2018; 13(5):e0197143.. View in PubMed
• Autonomic nervous system involvement in sickle cell disease. Clin Hemorheol Microcirc. 2018; 68(2-3):251-262.. View in PubMed
• A novel cross-correlation methodology for assessing biophysical responses associated with pain. J Pain Res. 2018; 11:2207-2219.. View in PubMed
• Sexual risk during pregnancy and postpartum periods among HIV-infected and -uninfected South African women: Implications for primary and secondary HIV prevention interventions. PLoS One. 2018; 13(3):e0192982.. View in PubMed
• Individuals with sickle cell disease have a significantly greater vasoconstriction response to thermal pain than controls and have significant vasoconstriction in response to anticipation of pain. Am J Hematol. 2017 Nov; 92(11):1137-1145.. View in PubMed
• Shout-It-Now: A Mobile HCT Model Employing Technology and Edutainment in South Africa. J Int Assoc Provid AIDS Care. 2017 Sep/Oct; 16(5):506-511.. View in PubMed
• Graph Lasso-Based Test for Evaluating Functional Brain Connectivity in Sickle Cell Disease. Brain Connect. 2017 09; 7(7):443-453.. View in PubMed
• Assessing the Feasibility of Smartphone Apps for HIV-Care Research with MSM and Transgender Individuals in Mpumalanga, South Africa. J Int Assoc Provid AIDS Care. 2017 Sep/Oct; 16(5):433-439.. View in PubMed
• How we manage iron overload in sickle cell patients. Br J Haematol. 2017 06; 177(5):703-716.. View in PubMed
• Emergency department utilization by Californians with sickle cell disease, 2005-2014. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2017 06; 64(6).. View in PubMed
• Empirical model of human blood transverse relaxation at 3 T improves MRI T2 oximetry. Magn Reson Med. 2017 06; 77(6):2364-2371.. View in PubMed
• The role of carbon monoxide and heme oxygenase in the prevention of sickle cell disease vaso-occlusive crises. Am J Hematol. 2017 Jun; 92(6):569-582.. View in PubMed
• Transplantation in thalassemia: Revisiting the Pesaro risk factors 25 years later. Am J Hematol. 2017 May; 92(5):411-413.. View in PubMed
• Learning to Live With HIV in the Rural Townships: A Photovoice Study of Men Who Have Sex With Men Living With HIV in Mpumalanga, South Africa. J Assoc Nurses AIDS Care. 2017 May – Jun; 28(3):408-421.. View in PubMed
• Contrasting resting-state fMRI abnormalities from sickle and non-sickle anemia. PLoS One. 2017; 12(10):e0184860.. View in PubMed
• The effect of hypnosis on pain and peripheral blood flow in sickle-cell disease: a pilot study. J Pain Res. 2017; 10:1635-1644.. View in PubMed
• Biophysical markers of the peripheral vasoconstriction response to pain in sickle cell disease. PLoS One. 2017; 12(5):e0178353.. View in PubMed
• Hemoglobin and mean platelet volume predicts diffuse T1-MRI white matter volume decrease in sickle cell disease patients. Neuroimage Clin. 2017; 15:239-246.. View in PubMed
• Unchanneling cardiac iron in humans. Blood. 2016 09 22; 128(12):1538-40.. View in PubMed
• Determinants of resting cerebral blood flow in sickle cell disease. Am J Hematol. 2016 09; 91(9):912-7.. View in PubMed
• From Mosquitos to Humans: Genetic Evolution of Zika Virus. Cell Host Microbe. 2016 May 11; 19(5):561-5.. View in PubMed
• Predictors of cerebral blood flow in patients with and without anemia. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2016 Apr 15; 120(8):976-81.. View in PubMed
• Management of iron overload in hemoglobinopathies: what is the appropriate target iron level? Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2016 03; 1368(1):95-106.. View in PubMed
• Iron and oxidative stress in cardiomyopathy in thalassemia. Free Radic Biol Med. 2015 Nov; 88(Pt A):3-9.. View in PubMed
• Early Cardiac Iron Overload in a Child on Treatment of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Pediatrics. 2015 Sep; 136(3):e697-700.. View in PubMed
• Chronic transfusion therapy improves but does not normalize systemic and pulmonary vasculopathy in sickle cell disease. Blood. 2015 Aug 06; 126(6):703-10.. View in PubMed
• Autonomic responses to cold face stimulation in sickle cell disease: a time-varying model analysis. Physiol Rep. 2015 Jul 14; 3(7).. View in PubMed
• Iron toxicity and its possible association with treatment of Cancer: lessons from hemoglobinopathies and rare, transfusion-dependent anemias. Free Radic Biol Med. 2015 Feb; 79:343-51.. View in PubMed
• The HOPE social media intervention for global HIV prevention in Peru: a cluster randomised controlled trial. Lancet HIV. 2015 Jan; 2(1):e27-32.. View in PubMed
• A significant proportion of thalassemia major patients have adrenal insufficiency detectable on provocative testing. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2015 Jan; 37(1):54-9.. View in PubMed
• Prediabetes, elevated iron and all-cause mortality: a cohort study. BMJ Open. 2014 Dec 11; 4(12):e006491.. View in PubMed
• Population based surveillance in sickle cell disease: methods, findings and implications from the California registry and surveillance system in hemoglobinopathies project (RuSH). Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2014 Dec; 61(12):2271-6.. View in PubMed
• The impact of chelation therapy on survival in transfusional iron overload: a meta-analysis of myelodysplastic syndrome. Br J Haematol. 2014 Dec; 167(5):720-3.. View in PubMed
• Project HOPE: online social network changes in an HIV prevention randomized controlled trial for African American and Latino men who have sex with men. Am J Public Health. 2014 Sep; 104(9):1707-12.. View in PubMed
• Variance of pain prevalence and associated severity during the transfusion cycle of adult thalassaemia patients. Br J Haematol. 2014 Sep; 166(5):797-800.. View in PubMed
• Cardiac iron overload in sickle-cell disease. Am J Hematol. 2014 Jul; 89(7):678-83.. View in PubMed
• Physiology and pathophysiology of iron in hemoglobin-associated diseases. Free Radic Biol Med. 2014 Jul; 72:23-40.. View in PubMed
• Moving the bar to the right place: positioning interventions in HIV prevention. AIDS Behav. 2014 Apr; 18(4):634-7.. View in PubMed
• Effects of a community intervention on HIV prevention behaviors among men who experienced childhood sexual or physical abuse in four African settings: findings from NIMH Project Accept (HPTN 043). PLoS One. 2014; 9(6):e99643.. View in PubMed

• Wood, John
• Klausner, Jeffrey
• Detterich, Jon