The molecule has one shape when ferrying oxygen molecules and a slightly different shape when it is not Its 10,000 atoms are assembled into four chains, each a helix with several bends.

The atomic structure of hemoglobin, determined by Max Perutz ... Today, despite the detailed molecular explanation of the cause, sickle cell anemia is still a serious clinical problem.

In sickle cell disease, a gene mutation causes the hemoglobin molecules ... protein wrapped around a zinc molecule. Orkin's team has now reported the crystal structure of the BCL11A tetramer ...

Early work in the 1980s, in which Orkin participated, identified one oral drug, hydroxyurea, that raises fetal hemoglobin ... a zinc molecule. Orkin's team has now reported the crystal structure ...