Union Minister Jitendra Singh unveils gene therapy to treat sickle cell disease

New Delhi, Nov 19 (PTI) Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday launched India's first indigenous CRISPR-based gene therapy for sickle cell disease, which particularly affects the country's tribal population.

The therapy, named "BIRSA 101" is dedicated to freedom fighter Birsa Munda, whose 150th birth anniversary was observed a few days back.

Singh said that the breakthrough, developed at CSIR–Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), has demonstrated India’s capability to produce path-breaking therapies at a fraction of global costs, potentially replacing treatments priced at Rs 20–25 crore overseas.

A formal technology transfer and collaboration agreement was exchanged between CSIR-IGIB and the Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd, enabling translation of CRISPR platform into scalable, affordable therapies for sickle cell disease and other critical genetic disorders.

The minister said that India has formally begun its decisive journey towards becoming a sickle cell disease–free nation, marking a historic turning point in the country's public health and genomic medicine landscape.

He underlined that this innovation carries deep national significance, especially for tribal communities in central and eastern India, where the disease burden is the highest.

Singh said the technology works like a "precise genetic surgery", capable not only of curing the disease but also transforming treatment pathways for several hereditary disorders. PTI SKU SKU MNK MNK