What CRISPR-Cas9 breakthrough was achieved by Indian scientists at IGIB in 2024?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Solution: The correct answer is Editing the sickle cell gene in an Indian patient.
Explanation:
☛ Scientists at the CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) in New Delhi achieved a major milestone in gene therapy in 2024.
☛ They successfully used the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology to correct the genetic mutation responsible for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) in Indian patient-derived cells.
☛ Sickle Cell Anemia is an inherited genetic blood disorder caused by a single point mutation in the HBB gene, which produces abnormal hemoglobin.
☛ This indigenous development aims to make curative gene therapy significantly more affordable and accessible for tribal and marginalized communities heavily affected by the disorder in India.
Extra Exam-Relevant Facts:
☛ CRISPR-Cas9: Often referred to as "molecular scissors," this targeted gene-editing tool was discovered by Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020.
☛ National Sickle Cell Anemia Elimination Mission: Launched by the Government of India in July 2023 from Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, with the goal of eliminating the disease by 2047.
☛ First Test-Tube Baby: Louise Brown was born in 1978 in the UK through In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF); India's first IVF baby was Kanupriya Agarwal (Durga), born in 1978 under Dr. Subhash Mukhopadhyay.
☛ Human Cloning: Dolly the Sheep was the first mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell in 1996 by Ian Wilmut and colleagues at the Roslin Institute in Scotland.
Important One-Liners for Upcoming Exams:
☛ What does the acronym CRISPR stand for? → Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats
☛ Where is the CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) located? → New Delhi
☛ Which abnormal protein causes red blood cells to become sickle-shaped? → Hemoglobin S (HbS)
☛ What target year has India set to eliminate Sickle Cell Anemia? → 2047
☛ Which enzyme functions as the 'molecular scissors' in CRISPR gene editing? → Cas9 (CRISPR-associated protein 9)