Kevin Davies — Curved Air: A Biography of Sickle Cell Anemia and the Quest to Cure the First Molecular Disease - with Swee Lay Thein and LaRae Morning
Kevin Davies presents *Curved Air*, his history of sickle cell anemia and its pivotal role in the development of human genome editing. The book follows the disease from its ancient origins in sub-Saharan Africa and the first documented medical case in 1904 through the discovery of its molecular basis, prenatal DNA testing, and the emergence of CRISPR gene-editing treatment.
The discussion also examines the racial discrimination and medical neglect that left many predominantly Black patients without adequate care for decades. Davies will be joined by hematologist and sickle cell researcher Swee Lay Thein and LaRae Morning, a lawyer, public defender, and sickle cell patient who became Patient 14 in a landmark CRISPR clinical study. The conversation is framed as a story of scientific setbacks, medical breakthroughs, patient advocacy, and renewed hope for a cure.
When: Saturday, November 7, 2026, at 1:00 p.m.
Venue: Politics and Prose at 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Schedule: The event begins at 1:00 p.m. The page does not list an end time or duration.
Tickets: Free, with first-come, first-served seating.
Lineup: Kevin Davies will appear in conversation with Swee Lay Thein, MD, DSc, and LaRae Morning.
Kevin Davies: Davies is the executive editor of the *CRISPR Journal* and founding editor of *Nature Genetics*. He is a Guggenheim Fellow and the author or coauthor of *Editing Humanity*, *Cracking the Genome*, *The $1,000 Genome*, and *DNA*.
Swee Lay Thein: Dr. Thein is a physician-scientist with more than 30 years of experience in clinical and translational hematology research. Since 2015, she has been senior investigator and chief of the Sickle Cell Branch at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. She previously led research and clinical programs at King’s College London and King’s College Hospital. Her honors include the 2024 Shaw Prize in Life Sciences & Medicine, election as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2025, and the 2026 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences.
LaRae Morning: Morning was born with sickle cell anemia and participated as Patient 14 in a pioneering CRISPR gene-editing clinical study, receiving the treatment on December 20, 2021. She studied medical studies at Arizona State University before turning to law and public defense, later earning her degree from American University Washington College of Law.
Rescheduled: This event was moved from October 2 at The Wharf.
Accessibility: To request accommodations or ask about accessibility, email events@politics-prose.com, preferably at least one week before the event. The venue will try to accommodate requests made closer to the event as well.
Related book: *Curved Air: A Biography of Sickle Cell Anemia and the Quest to Cure the First Molecular Disease* is available in hardcover for $29.95. The book’s ISBN is 9780674293960, and its publication date is September 8, 2026.