UK Approves World's First CRISPR Gene Therapy for Blood Disorders

According to a recent Reuters article, the United Kingdom has authorized the use of a gene therapy called Casgevy to treat sickle-cell disease and another inherited blood disorder in patients over the age of 12. The move marks the first instance of approval for a medicine using CRISPR, which was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2020. Sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia result from genetic errors affecting the production of hemoglobin, crucial for transporting oxygen in red blood cells.