RAS question
BIRSA 101, India's first indigenous CRISPR gene therapy launched in November 2025, targets which disease?
Correct answer: (B) Sickle Cell Disease.
BIRSA 101 is India’s first indigenous CRISPR-based gene therapy for sickle cell disease.
Explanation
BIRSA 101 targets sickle cell disease, not a general genetic-disorder category. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research describes it as India’s first indigenous CRISPR-based gene therapy for sickle cell disease and says the therapy was developed at CSIR–Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology. The name BIRSA 101 is linked to Birsa Munda, while the launch was presented as a science-and-technology breakthrough with particular relevance for communities affected by sickle cell disease. The exam-relevant cost angle is that the therapy aims at about Rs 50 lakh, compared with global therapies priced around Rs 20–25 crore. CSIR also records a CSIR-IGIB and Serum Institute collaboration to translate the CRISPR platform into scalable, affordable therapies.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Cystic fibrosis is wrong because the CSIR report identifies BIRSA 101 specifically as a CRISPR-based gene therapy for sickle cell disease.
- (C) Haemophilia is wrong because BIRSA 101 is not linked to blood-clotting disorders; it points to sickle cell disease.
- (D) Thalassemia is wrong because the official CSIR account names sickle cell disease as the target disease for BIRSA 101, despite thalassemia also being a genetic blood disorder.
Concept
This tests applied biotechnology in the Science and Technology syllabus: CRISPR gene therapy, indigenous medical innovation, and disease-target matching. It recurs in RAS because current Indian science launches are often asked through institution, technology, and public-health relevance.