The Baltimore-Piraeus Sister City Committee has donated $5,000 to Hopkins Children’s to fund research on Cooley’s Anemia, a potentially fatal genetic blood disorder commonly found in Mediterranean populations, in particular individuals of Greek and Italian descent.

Hopkins Children’s Director of Pediatric Hematology James Casella accepted the award in a ceremony at City Hall, February 19, attended by Baltimore City Mayor Shelia Dixon.

At Hopkins Children’s, one of the nation’s few sites of Cooley’s research, pediatric hematologist Jeffrey Keefer is investigating possible drugs and genes that might increase fetal hemoglobin, helping ameliorate the inherited disorder’s effects. The ability to remedy problems of hemoglobin could have implications for individuals with sickle cell disease, also known as sickle cell anemia, as well.

Piraeus, Greece, is the largest port in Europe. Established in 1982 to foster community between the two port cities, The Baltimore-Piraeus Committee raised the $5,000 for Hopkins Children’s at its 25th anniversary gala in October 2007.