The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has made a medical breakthrough, with King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh (KAMC-RD) of the Ministry of National Guard – Health Affairs (MNGHA) successfully utilizing Casgevy gene therapy through CRISPR gene editing technology to treat a 13-year-old patient with thalassemia major.
The achievement is the first of its kind outside clinical trials and research, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.
The patient, who had been reliant on blood transfusions every three weeks since birth, left the medical city after the successful transplantation of gene cells, making a complete recovery, according to the SPA report.
The Kingdom is preparing to soon implement more of these advanced gene therapies for several patients with sickle cell anemia and thalassemia, further solidifying its position in the field of gene therapy on a global scale.
Source: Kuwait News Agency