Today, Dr. Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences, MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy, and Space, introduced India's first domestic "CRISPR" based gene therapy for sickle cell disease, which primarily affects the country's tribal population.
The "BIRSA 101" therapy is devoted to Bhagwan Birsa Munda, a renowned tribal independence fighter whose 150th anniversary was celebrated a few days ago.
The Minister declared that this was a historic turning point in the nation's public health and genomic medicine landscape and that India had officially started its crucial road towards achieving a nation free of sickle cell disease.
According to the Minister, the country has made significant progress toward achieving Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi's vision of a sickle cell free India by 2047 and advancing Atmanirbhar Bharat in cutting edge medical technologies with the creation and transfer of India's first domestic CRISPR based gene therapy.
Dr. Jitendra Singh emphasised that the discovery, which was made at the CSIR Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology (IGIB), has shown that India is capable of producing ground breaking medications at a fraction of the worldwide cost, potentially replacing treatments that cost ₹20-25 crore outside.
He emphasised that this invention has significant national implications, particularly for tribal people in central and eastern India, where the prevalence of sickness is highest.
Senior leaders from India's scientific community attended the event, including Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, Director General, CSIR; Dr. Souvik Maiti, Director, CSIR IGIB; Dr. Umesh Shaligram, Executive Director, Serum Institute of India (SIIPL); faculty, researchers, and scientists from IGIB; invited guests; and members of the media.
Speaking to the crowd, Dr. Jitendra Singh stated that the domestic CRISPR platform named BIRSA 101 in honor of Bhagwan Birsa Munda marks a scientific achievement that places India among the world's leaders in cutting edge treatments.
In layman's terms, he described the gene editing technique as a "precise genetic surgery" that could not only cure sickle cell disease but also change the course of treatment for a number of inherited illnesses.
In order to ensure that the public fully comprehends the significance of these developments, he advised scientific organizations to use infographics and social media to communicate breakthroughs in plain English.
Dr. Jitendra Singh commended the increasing collaboration between Indian industry and government scientific institutions, particularly the Serum Institute of India.
According to him, these collaborations have already produced internationally acknowledged successes, such as COVID-19, HPV, and other vital vaccinations, and they will now expedite India's leadership in gene therapy.
He emphasised that business involvement is crucial for scalability, affordability, and global competitiveness and that the government cannot bear the full burden of biotechnology expansion on its own.
Dr. Jitendra Singh opened a brand new cutting edge research and translation facility at CSIR IGIB during the visit. In order to facilitate cooperative research across CSIR, DBT, and partner institutes, he engaged with scientists, evaluated work from various genomic medicine programs, and emphasised the necessity of integrated national models like One Week One Theme.
The Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. and CSIR IGIB signed a formal technology transfer and collaboration agreement that made it possible to translate IGIB's modified enFnCas9 CRISPR platform into scalable, reasonably priced treatments for sickle cell disease and other serious genetic disorders.
According to Dr. Singh, this collaboration is similar to India's effective public private approach, which has been used over the previous ten years to create a number of vaccines and treatments.
He emphasised that the partnership guarantees that discoveries made in labs are not limited to research articles but are instead widely applied in real world clinical settings.
According to the Minister, the transfer of BIRSA 101 and the CRISPR platform to a top manufacturer such as Serum Institute ensures global standard manufacturing pathways, affordability, and scalability, making advanced gene editing treatments available to Indian patients, particularly those from underprivileged tribal communities.
Dr. Jitendra Singh came to the conclusion that the rapid invention of vaccinations, antibiotics, and now gene therapies is evidence of India's scientific prowess.
In order to expedite results and guarantee ongoing awareness of India's scientific advancement, he called on policy agencies, business partners, and scientific institutes to collaborate in a single "One Week One Theme" strategy.
The Hon'ble Prime Minister's visionary leadership and the growing confidence of Indian science on the international scene, according to the Minister, are responsible for India's journey from being reliant on imported biomedical technologies to becoming a global leader in drug development, vaccines, and now CRISPR therapeutics.
"We are now developing global technologies rather than merely using them. The Minister stated, "The world will now look to India for the future of accessible, state of the art healthcare."
Speaking at the event, Dr. Umesh Shaligram, Executive Director of Serum Institute of India, conveyed sincere appreciation and reiterated the organization's dedication to converting IGIB's innovation into practical applications. He stated:
Even the wealthiest cannot afford gene therapies because they cost more than $3 million worldwide. Our goal is to make Indian innovation available to the most impoverished people.
With reasonably priced vaccines, Serum has prevented over 30 million deaths, and we are totally dedicated to helping the Prime Minister realize his goal of a sickle cell free India by 2047.
With the Minister's enthusiasm and support, we will put all of our effort into using this technology to save lives. In order to make sure that cutting edge treatments get to the people who need them the most, he continued, Serum Institute would continue to collaborate closely with IGIB and CSIR.
