The high cost of CRISPR therapy will stop it getting to most patients

LITTLE greater than a decade in the past, a brand new know-how was revealed to the world: CRISPR, a strategy to change DNA inside cells in a extra exact manner than ever earlier than. The news triggered a storm of media protection and earned its builders a Nobel prize in 2020. This 12 months, the primary genetic remedy primarily based on CRISPR is ready to be permitted.

This is for sickle cell illness, a situation wherein a defective protein causes pink blood cells to type an irregular “sickle” form, which might result in blocked blood vessels, agonising ache and even organ harm. The CRISPR strategy …