New Delhi: India on Wednesday unveiled its first home-grown CRISPR-based gene therapy for Sickle Cell Disease, marking what Union minister Jitendra Singh described as a “decisive journey towards becoming a Sickle Cell–free nation.”
The therapy, named BIRSA 101 in honour of tribal freedom fighter Bhagwan Birsa Munda, comes days after the nation observed his 150th birth anniversary and is expected to particularly benefit tribal communities that bear the highest disease burden.
Announcing the launch, the minister said the breakthrough places India firmly on the global map of advanced genomic medicine, while advancing the government’s vision of a Sickle Cell–free India by 2047. He noted that the indigenous development and transfer of the therapy represents a major stride in Atmanirbhar Bharat, especially as global treatments cost Rs 20–25 crore.
India, he said, has now demonstrated its capability to produce “pathbreaking therapies at a fraction of global costs.”
Developed at the CSIR–Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology (IGIB), BIRSA 101 is powered by an engineered enFnCas9 CRISPR platform. The Union Minister explained the technology as a form of “precise genetic surgery” capable of not only curing Sickle Cell Disease but also reshaping treatment pathways for multiple hereditary disorders. He urged scientific institutions to communicate such achievements in simple language using infographics and social media so that the public can appreciate the significance of the advances.
The event witnessed participation from senior leaders of India’s scientific community, including CSIR Director General N Kalaiselvi, CSIR-IGIB Director Souvik Maiti, and Serum Institute of India (SIIPL) Executive Director Umesh Shaligram. Singh lauded the strengthening partnership between public scientific institutions and Indian industry, emphasising that such collaborations had already delivered widely recognised successes in COVID-19, HPV and other vaccines, and would now accelerate India’s leadership in gene therapy.