Submitted 1 year ago by silence7@slrpnk.net to technology@lemmy.world
The key thing about this kind of therapy is that it’s not a drug you keep on taking - it’s a one-time thing which permanently cures the disease.
I hope it isn’t outrageously expensive. This has the potential to be incredibly beneficial, but not if it’s kept to only people who can shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The pricing is higher than you’re describing - about 2 million dollars, which is still cheaper than paying for ongiong treatment over the course of a person’s life.
It’s priced to be attractive to corporate-sponsored insurance plans, not for individuals to pay out of pocket.
But the corporate sponsored insurance plans still need to be payed for somehow, usually as a deduction in what the company would pay since they can advertise better benefits. My friend’s family has sickle cell, but I guess this won’t help them since he’s a car salesman.
It’s very expensive, but it’s also a very intensive treatment. As I understand, they harvest stem cells, and those are modified with CRISPR. Meanwhile, they give the patient chemo-therapy to destroy all the bone-marrow. Then the modified stem-cells are placed in the body to regenerate the bone marrow.
I’m not educated to understand any of this, so hopefully someone can expand.
Is there information out there on what other type of genetic issues are being looked at to be cured by this type of approach?
Great news for folks in Jamaica where I’m from. Pretty common there.
Now all they need is $2 million.
Gormadt@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 year ago
Never thought I read a headline like that in my lifetime
Can’t wait to see the Wikipedia article go from "Sickle Cell Disease is… to "Sickle Cell Disease was… "