Overview
- Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh launched BIRSA 101 at CSIR-IGIB, which developed the enFnCas9-based gene-editing platform.
- CSIR-IGIB signed a formal agreement transferring the indigenous CRISPR technology to the Serum Institute to run Phase 2 and 3 trials and scale production.
- IGIB reports Phase 1 activity involving three patients and has identified about 150 potential participants to select three initial subjects pending approvals.
- AIIMS Delhi will handle bone marrow cell collection while IGIB performs gene editing, with the extraction process expected to take roughly 120 days.
- Developers project costs could fall from roughly Rs 20–26 crore overseas to about Rs 50 lakh domestically, with the platform potentially applicable to other inherited disorders and aligned with the 2047 elimination mission.