Aga Khan University (AKU) has won a competitive research grant of Rs. 159.60 million to find a cure for common genetic disorders — beta-thalassemia and sickle cell anemia.
According to details, AKU’s Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research (CRMSCR) has won the grant under Grand Challenge Fund (GCF), a key element of the higher education development in Pakistan supported by the World Bank and implemented by the HEC.
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Speaking on the development, Dr. Afsar Mian, Assistant Professor at AKU and Team Lead at CRMSCR, said AKU researchers will now be among the few research teams in the world that are working on gene repair therapies to find a permanent cure for the two disorders.
Dr. Afsar noted that carrying out this research study in Pakistan will help develop local capacity and indigenous cures of both disorders rather than waiting for treatments from elsewhere.
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He added that a permanent cure of beta-thalassemia and sickle cell anemia will end the need for bone marrow transplant and blood transfusion in patients once and for all.
The CRMSCR research team will include Dr. Afsar Mian, Dr. Salma Jahan, Dr. Hammad Hassan, and Dr. Mohammed Yusuf who will work with international researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and Cardiff University in the UK.
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