Overview
- Developed at CSIR‑IGIB on an engineered enFnCas9 platform, the therapy was launched in Delhi by Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh.
- IGIB signed a formal technology‑transfer and collaboration agreement with the Serum Institute of India to take the platform into manufacturing and broader development.
- Initial clinical work has involved three patients under Department of Science funding, with Serum Institute slated to conduct Phase 2 and 3 trials following regulatory approvals.
- Officials compare overseas treatment prices of roughly Rs 20–26 crore with a domestic target near Rs 50 lakh, a figure dependent on successful trials, clearances and scale‑up.
- Sickle cell disease heavily affects tribal communities in central and eastern India, and officials frame BIRSA 101 as part of the push toward a Sickle Cell–free India by 2047.