Ministry of Tribal Affairs, CSIR and IGIB Organized Workshop on "BIRSA 101" — India's First Indigenous CRISPR-Based Gene Therapy for Sickle Cell Disease

📌 Summary:

• The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, with CSIR and CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), organised a workshop on "BIRSA 101" — India's first indigenous CRISPR-based gene therapy for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) — at CSIR-IGIB, New Delhi on 14 May 2026
• The workshop was held under Janjatiya Garima Utsav 2026, a month-long celebration; its first week is themed "Technology as a Development Driver"
• "BIRSA 101", named after Bhagwan Birsa Munda, advances the Government's goal of eliminating Sickle Cell Disease, which disproportionately affects tribal populations; the Ministry of Tribal Affairs supported the project with about Rs 3.75 crore
• CSIR-IGIB showcased major genomics initiatives including Ayurgenomics, the GUaRDIAN initiative for rare genetic disorders, the Indian Breast Cancer Genome Atlas (IBCGA), PHENOME India and Indian gut microbiome studies
• CSIR-TKDL presented work under the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library to preserve and protect India's traditional medicinal knowledge, including tribal knowledge traditions
• Officials emphasised leveraging indigenous innovation and precision medicine for last-mile, affordable healthcare for tribal communities

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 — developments in biotechnology and gene therapy; indigenous innovation in healthcare; convergence of science and tribal welfare and the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• BIRSA 101 is India's first indigenous CRISPR-based gene therapy for Sickle Cell Disease, developed at CSIR-IGIB
• It is named after tribal icon Bhagwan Birsa Munda; supported with ~Rs 3.75 crore by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs
• CSIR-IGIB runs the GUaRDIAN initiative (rare genetic disorders) and PHENOME India programme
• CRISPR is a gene-editing technology that allows precise modification of DNA sequences

🔑 Key Term: CRISPR-based gene therapy — a technique that uses the CRISPR gene-editing tool to correct or modify disease-causing genes, here applied to treat Sickle Cell Disease.