Abu Dhabi hospital administers world’s first ITVISMA gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy

December 29, 2025 3:30 PM

Abu Dhabi hospital administers world’s first ITVISMA gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy

Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Khalifa Medical City has become the first hospital globally to administer ITVISMA, a one-time gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy, marking a milestone in precision medicine. The treatment was delivered on December 28, 2025, under the supervision of the Department of Health, Abu Dhabi, following the UAE’s regulatory approval on November 25, making the country the second in the world after the United States to authorise the therapy. Developed by Novartis, ITVISMA targe...

India Takes a Genomic Leap: CSIR-IGIB and Serum Institute Partner to Deliver Indigenous Gene-Editing Therapies

November 19, 2025 7:05 PM

India Takes a Genomic Leap: CSIR-IGIB and Serum Institute Partner to Deliver Indigenous Gene-Editing Therapies

India is stepping into a new era of genomic innovation, and at the heart of this transformation is a powerful collaboration between two scientific giants CSIR–Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) and the Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. (SIIPL). Their partnership marks a defining moment in the country’s pursuit of accessible, high-precision gene therapies. The collaboration centers on enFnCas9, an engineered high-fidelity CRISPR-Cas9 platform developed by IGIB. This i...

Why gene therapy for sickle cell is slow to catch on with patients

September 29, 2024 6:13 PM

Why gene therapy for sickle cell is slow to catch on with patients

Student Zoe Davis, 20, was just weeks into her junior year when she landed back in the hospital with severe sickle cell pain earlier this month. She is doing what she can to prevent the crippling attacks in her arms, legs and abdomen that are becoming more frequent. She knows new gene therapies may provide long-term relief to some of the 100,000 Americans like her who suffer from sickle cell disease. But she's holding off trying one. "It is so new ... I wanted to see more success stories befor...