Injecting two new cases with gene therapy at Ain Shams University as part of the presidential initiative to treat patients with spinal muscular atrophy

At Ain Shams University, through the Center for Muscular and Neurological Diseases at Ain Shams Specialized Hospital at the university, an injection operation was performed for two children with spinal muscular atrophy, within the framework of the humanitarian presidential initiative which was launched by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Republic to treat children with spinal muscular atrophy free of charge at the state's expense

Where the two children, Maryam Muhammad Saeed Khattab, from Cairo Governorate, aged 1 year and 9 months, and Mustafa Darwish Mustafa, aged 1 year and 4 months, from Cairo Governorate, were injected.

Prof. Dr. Najia Ali Fahmy, director of the Musculoskeletal Diseases Unit and the supervisor of the injection process, explained that the two children were among the cases that she is pursuing treatment at the Center for Musculoskeletal Diseases at Ain Shams University,

Their case was presented to the Supreme Committee and their genetic and viral analyzes were submitted, and their injections were approved at the state's expense as part of the presidential initiative to treat patients with spinal muscular atrophy. The two children were injected with the world's highest-priced gene therapy for one time only.

She added that the Ain Shams University Center for Muscular and Neurological Diseases was launched specifically to carry out the task of injecting patients within three centers that came in implementation of the presidential initiative, which is the first of its kind and unique to the Arab Republic of Egypt in the world, due to the high price of treatment, the cost of a single injection is 2.1 million dollars, which is borne by the state in order to alleviate the burdens of Egyptian families.

She added that the medical team at Ain Shams Specialized Hospital is working under the supervision and support of Prof. Dr. Mahmoud El-Metini, President of Ain Shams University, Prof. Dr. Ayman Saleh, Vice President of Graduate Studies and Research, Prof. Dr. Ashraf Omar, Dean of the faculty of Medicine, Chairman of the University Hospitals Board of Directors, Prof. Dr. Ali Al-Anwar, Executive Director of Ain Shams University Hospitals, Prof. Dr. Hani Aref, Head of the Department of Neurology Prof. Dr. Walid Anwar, director of Ain Shams Specialized Hospital, and his two deputies, Prof. Dr. Hisham Anwar and Prof. Dr. Muhammad Rizk.

She indicated that the injection process is carried out with the cooperation of an integrated team of doctors from the Musculoskeletal Diseases Unite, the infection control team, the clinical pharmacy team, and the nursing staff at Ain Shams Specialized Hospital, in cooperation with Novartis Egypt.

It is noteworthy that the Musculoskeletal Diseases Unit, which was established 25 years ago in Ain Shams Medicine, was able to provide services that were not available in diagnosis and treatment, to conduct clinical and genetic tests; The unit seeks to make Egypt a center for research and clinical and clinical trials on genetic and hereditary diseases, to be included within the presidential initiatives to care for public health and implement Egypt’s vision 2030.