By Rob Stein – NPR
In a landmark decision, the Food and Drug Administration Friday approved the first gene-editing treatment to alleviate human illness.
The FDA approved two gene therapies for anyone 12 and older suffering from the most severe form of sickle cell disease, a brutal blood disorder that has long been neglected by medical research.
The decisions are being hailed as milestones for treating sickle cell and for the rapidly advancing field of gene editing, which is stirring excitement for treatment of many diseases.
