Daily Prelims Notes 9 December 2023

December 9, 2023
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

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Daily Prelims Notes

9 December 2023

Table Of Contents

1. The study looks at ways to manage grass dominance in savannahs

Subject: Environment

Section: Ecosystem

Context:

A study from the Eastern Ghats highlights the dominance of native Cymbopogon grass (lemongrass) in a mesic savannah ecosystem and probes the causes and control measures to take it back to the desired or historical state to preserve biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Cymbopogon grass (lemongrass):

Cymbopogon is a C4 grass or a warm-season grass that needs plenty of sunlight and is heat and fire-tolerant.
It is a genus of Asian, African, Australian, and tropical island plants in the grass family.
Some species (particularly Cymbopogon citratus) are commonly cultivated as culinary and medicinal herbs because of their scent, resembling that of lemons (Citrus limon).
In India, C. citratus is used as a medical herb and in perfumes. It is consumed as a tea for anxiety in Brazilian folk medicine.
The grass contains oil and the dominance of such inflammable grass can result in more frequent, large fires that do not favour the biodiversity and the ecosystem.
Savannah ecosystems have existed in India for over a million years.
Fire is an integral part of the management of savannahs. Dry ecosystems like savannahs depend on fire to recycle biomass.

2. India had fourth best ranking in climate performance among countries during 2022, says report

Subject : Environment

Section :Pollution

Context:

India has been ranked seventh in climate performance during 2022. But the country is effectively fourth as no one has occupied the first three ranks in the ‘very high’ performance category.
Last year India (67.35 per cent) was in the eighth spot.

About the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2024:

Published annually since 2005
CCPI is an instrument to enable transparency in national and international climate politics. It uses a standardized framework to compare the climate performance of 63 countries and the EU, which together account for over 90% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
The climate protection performance is assessed in four categories: GHG Emissions (40%), Renewable Energy (20%), Energy Use (20%) and Climate Policy (20%).
Top countries- Denmark (75.59 per cent), Estonia (72.07), the Philippines (70.70), and India (70.25 per cent).
Bottom countries: Saudi Arabia, Iran, UAE and Korea.
India was ranked 9th in GHG Emissions, 10th in Energy Use, 10th in Renewable energy, and 37th in Climate policy.
Most developed countries like the USA, the U.K. and Italy fared poorly compared to last year.
China retained the same position — 51st — compared to a year back. Brazil improved 15 positions and South Africa slipped one position on the same benchmark.
Among developed countries, Italy slipped 15 positions in ranking, the United Kingdom and France nine positions, Japan eight positions and the United States has been pushed back five positions. Germany and the European Union improved marginally.

Source: Down-to-earth

3. De-extincting the dodo: Why scientists are planning to bring back the bird to Mauritius

Subject: Environment

Section: Biodiversity

Context:

An ambitious new project promises to bring the extinct dodo back to life and re-introduce it in its once-native habitat in Mauritius. It is a collaboration between genetic engineering company Colossal Biosciences and the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation.

About Dodo:

The dodo (Raphus cucullatus) is an extinct flightless bird that was endemic to the island of Mauritius, which is east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.
The dodo’s closest relative was the also-extinct and flightless Rodrigues solitaire.
The two formed the subfamily Raphinae, a clade of extinct flightless birds that were a part of the family which includes pigeons and doves.
The closest living relative of the dodo is the Nicobar pigeon.

Why dodos went extinct?

They became extinct mainly due to humans and animals introduced by them in Dodo’s native environment.
Dutch colonists first landed in Mauritius in 1598. Dodos disappeared around 80 years later. Not only did the Dutch hunt the meaty bird, but the animals they brought with them — dogs, cats, rats, etc.— wreaked havoc on the defenceless dodos and their eggs.

How geneticists plan to bring the Dodo back:

Accurate and complete genetic information is required to re-introduce an extinct species. This is known as a species’ genome — each genome contains all of the information needed to build that organism and allow it to grow and develop.
Scientists have successfully sequenced the entire genome of the dodo.
Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are basically embryonic precursors of a species’ sperm and egg.
Why reintroducing Dodo?
- Reintroducing the dodo to Mauritius can help restore its fragile ecosystem. The bird’s large beak indicates that it consumed large-seeded fruits, and thus played a role in the seeds’ dispersal.
- The technology would also help to conserve and restore other avian populations.
Challenge in re-introduction- For dodos to survive, invasive species including rats, feral cats, pigs and dogs, monkeys, mongooses, and crows may need to be “excluded, rehomed or even controlled.

Source: Indian Express

4. Global Cooling Pledge at COP28: How refrigerators and ACs contribute to global warming

Subject: Environment

Section: Int Convention

Context:

Sixty-three countries, including the US, Canada, and Kenya, signed up to the world’s first-ever pledge to drastically cut cooling emissions at the ongoing COP28 climate summit.

Global Cooling Pledge:

It commits the countries to reduce their cooling emissions by at least 68% by 2050 and outlines several strategies to tackle them.
These kinds of emissions now account for 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions and are expected to triple by 2050.

Cooling emission and global warming:

Generated from refrigerants, used in appliances like ACs and refrigerators, and the energy used for cooling.
- Electricity, used for refrigerators, is generated from fossil fuels, that contribute to global warming.
- The energy consumption for space cooling (the process of cooling indoors) has more than tripled.
Earlier, most of the cooling appliances used chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as refrigerants.
But since the 1987 Montreal Protocol– an agreement signed by nearly 200 countries to freeze the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances, including CFCs- CFCs were largely replaced by two groups of chemicals, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs).
HFCs and HCFCs don’t damage the ozone layer but they are powerful greenhouse gasses, and hundreds to thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2) per unit of mass.
- HFC-134a, a form of HFC and most commonly used in domestic fridges, has a global warming potential of 3,400 times that of CO2.

Sources of HFC

Steps taken to reduce HFCs:

In 2016, over 150 countries signed the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, agreeing to reduce HFC consumption by 80% by 2047.
If achieved, this could avoid more than 0.4 degrees Celsius of global warming by 2100.
Natural refrigerants, such as ammonia, certain hydrocarbons, and CO2 can be used in cooling devices. These chemicals have lower or zero global warming potential.
Proper management and reuse of potent refrigerant gases could slash 100 billion gigatons of global CO2 emissions between 2020 and 2050.

Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC):

It is an international body working to reduce powerful but short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), including methane, black carbon, HFCs, and tropospheric ozone.
Launched in 2012, by the governments of Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Mexico, Sweden and the United States, along with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

5. How Google DeepMind’s AI breakthrough could revolutionise chip, battery development

Subject : Science and Tech

Section: Awareness in IT, Computer

More about the news:

Researchers at Google DeepMind have made a significant breakthrough by using artificial intelligence (AI) to predict the structures of over 2 million new materials.
This development, facilitated by the AI tool named Graph Networks for Materials Exploration (GNoME), holds immense potential in various sectors, including renewable energy, battery research, semiconductor design, and computing efficiency.
While earlier claims of breakthroughs in materials like LK-99 faced scrutiny, the DeepMind AI tool offers a promising avenue for the design and generation of potential recipes for new materials, marking a notable advancement in the field.

Why is this significant

The AI breakthrough by Google DeepMind has significantly increased the number of known ‘stable materials’ by ten-fold, encompassing inorganic crystals crucial for various modern tech applications such as computer chips and batteries.
This development is particularly impactful in fields like the search for stable solid electrolytes to replace current Li-ion battery electrolytes and the exploration of new layered compounds akin to graphene for potential advancements in electronics and superconductors.
DeepMind’s AI-led discovery employs filters to scale up the process, narrowing down a list of synthesizable materials that could meet specific requirements and potentially offering insights at the atomic bond level.
Traditional methods of discovering stable materials involve time-consuming trial and error processes, making AI predictions a more efficient and groundbreaking approach.

How does GNoME actually work

Google DeepMind’s project, Graph Networks for Materials Exploration (GNoME), utilizes a state-of-the-art graph neural network model (GNN) to predict the structures of over 2 million new materials.
The model, trained using active learning, leverages a graph representation resembling atomic connections, making it well-suited for discovering new materials by identifying patterns not present in the original dataset.
GNoME employs two pipelines—a structural one creating candidates akin to known crystals and a compositional one following a more randomized approach based on chemical formulas.
The precision rate for predicting materials stability has been significantly boosted from 50% to around 80%, equivalent to nearly 800 years of knowledge based on publicly available stable predictions.
GNoME was trained on crystal structure data from The Materials Project, contributing to the ongoing quest for innovative materials in various scientific domains.

6. Rs 5 lakh UPI limit for payment to hospital and educational institution

Subject: Economy

Section: Monetary Policy

Context: Rs 5 lakh UPI limit for payment to hospital and educational institution

More about the news:

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced several regulatory measures in the UPI and fintech ecosystem, along with developments in the financial markets:
The UPI transaction limit for medical and educational services has been raised from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.
RBI has exempted e-mandates additional factor authentication (AFA) for transactions up to Rs 1 lakh for activities such as mutual fund subscriptions, insurance premium payments, and credit card bill payments.
Existing requirements like pre- and post-transaction notifications and opt-out facilities will continue.
RBI plans to establish a Fintech Repository to better understand developments in the fintech ecosystem. It will be operationalized by the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub by April 2024 or earlier.
RBI is working on setting up a cloud facility for the financial sector in India to enhance data security, integrity, privacy, scalability, and business continuity.
The rollout will be calibrated over the medium term.
A unified regulatory framework for connected lending for all regulated entities will be introduced, strengthening credit pricing and management.
RBI will establish a regulatory framework for the web-aggregation of loan products, aiming to enhance customer centricity and transparency in digital lending.

What is Unified Payments Interface (UPI):

The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is a system that consolidates multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application provided by any participating bank.
Developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), UPI serves as a payment system enabling seamless money transfers between any two bank accounts using a smartphone.
This payment interface allows customers to make direct payments from their bank accounts to various merchants, both online and offline, eliminating the need to input credit card details, IFSC codes, or net banking/wallet passwords.
UPI integrates numerous banking features, facilitating effortless fund routing and merchant payments within a unified framework.
UPI was launched in April 2016,and has gained significant popularity, becoming a preferred choice for users engaged in sending and receiving money.
Additionally, the platform addresses “Peer to Peer” collect requests, which can be scheduled and paid at the user’s convenience and as per specific requirements.

7. Clean Ganga mission sign pact with Mississippi river initiative

Subject: Environment

Section: Pollution

Context: Clean Ganga mission sign pact with Mississippi river initiative

More about the news:

The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), responsible for implementing India’s Namami Gange scheme, has entered into a Memorandum of Common Purpose (MoCP) with the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI), representing 124 cities and towns along the Mississippi River in the United States.
The MoCP was signed by G. Asok Kumar, DG, NMCG, and representatives from various US cities, including La Crosse, Greenville, and New Orleans.
The signing ceremony, conducted at the Rotary Hall as part of COP28 in Dubai, involved senior officials from the US State Department, UNEP, National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), and Rotary International. NMCG signed the MoCP on behalf of the River Cities Alliance (RCA).

Some facts about River Cities Alliance:

The River Cities Alliance was launched in 2021, to represent a pioneering collaboration between the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
It is the first-of-its-kind global initiative, symbolizing the successful partnership between the two ministries.
The primary objective is to provide member cities with a platform for discussing and exchanging vital information related to sustainable urban river management, sharing best practices, and promoting innovation.
The alliance is open to all river cities in India, the Alliance allows cities to join at any time.
The alliance has been launched initially with 30 cities namely Dehradun, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Srinagar, Varanasi, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Farrukhabad, Mirzapur, Mathura, Bijnor, Ayodhya, Patna, Bhagalpur, Begusarai, Munger, Sahibganj, Rajmahal, Howrah, Jangipur, Hugli-Chinsurah, Berhampore, Maheshtala, Aurangabad, Chennai, Bhubaneshwar, Hyderabad, Pune, Udaipur and Vijayawada.
The Alliance focuses on three broad themes: Networking, Capacity Building, and Technical Support.
The Secretariat of the Alliance is established at the National Institute for Urban Affairs (NIUA).

Some facts about The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG):

It was registered as a society in 2011 under the Societies Registration Act 1860.
It acted as the implementation arm of National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) which was constituted under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act (EPA),1986.
NGRBA has since been dissolved with effect from 2016 consequent to the constitution of National Council for Rejuvenation, Protection and Management of River Ganga which is referred as National Ganga Council.

What is the Aim & Objective of NMCG

To ensure effective abatement of pollution and rejuvenation of the river Ganga by adopting a river basin approach to promote inter-sectoral coordination for comprehensive planning and management.
To maintain minimum ecological flows in the river Ganga with the aim of ensuring water quality and environmentally sustainable development.
The Act envisages five tier structure at national, state and district level to take measures for prevention, control and abatement of environmental pollution in river Ganga and to ensure continuous adequate flow of water to rejuvenate the river Ganga as below:
National Ganga Council under the chairmanship of Prime Minister of India.
Empowered Task Force (ETF) on river Ganga under chairmanship of Union Minister of Jal Shakti (Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation).
National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG).
State Ganga Committees.
District Ganga Committees in every specified district abutting river Ganga and its tributaries in the states.

8. After Mahua expulsion

Subject: Polity

Section: Parliament and legislation

Context: Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra was Friday expelled from the Lok Sabha

More about the news:

The Lok Sabha expelled Trinamool Congress member Mahua Moitra over the “cash-for-query” allegation through a voice vote amid chaos.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister had moved the motion to expel Ms. Moitra as per the recommendation of the Ethics Committee report.
The report found her guilty of sharing her credentials with others, accepting gifts for favors from a businessman.

Can she go to the Supreme Court:

The expelled individual has the option to challenge the expulsion in the Supreme Court.
While Article 122 of the Constitution typically grants immunity to parliamentary proceedings from court challenges based on procedural irregularities, the Supreme Court, in the 2007 Raja Ram Pal case, clarified that these restrictions are specifically for procedural irregularities.
In certain cases, judicial review may be deemed necessary, despite the general immunity outlined in Article 122.

What can be the grounds for a challenge

Former Lok Sabha secretary general P. D. T. Achary explains that while a House has the authority to expel a Member for breaching privilege, the court can assess whether that specific privilege was in effect at the time.
He notes the distinct roles of the Privileges Committee and Ethics Committee, emphasizing that they investigate misconduct and assess if a member has compromised the House’s dignity.
While investigative procedures lack specific rules, Achary suggests that fair methods, such as allowing the accused to depose, cross-examine individuals, and present relevant evidence, should be followed to uncover the truth.
In the case of lawmaker Moitra, who claims denial of natural justice, she alleges not being permitted to cross-examine individuals involved in the bribery accusations against her.

What had been Supreme Court’s stand on the issue in the past:

The Supreme Court has presented contrasting perspectives on analogous cases in the past, illustrating the intricacies of parliamentary expulsions.
The 2007 Raja Ram Pal case emphasized Parliament’s authority to expel members, contingent upon justiciability.
Nevertheless, discrepancies arose among judges regarding the interpretation of Article 101, addressing seat vacation in Parliament. The minority judgment expressed reservations about the comprehensive nature of Article 101, pointing out its omission of expulsion as a basis for vacancy.
In a subsequent case, Amarinder Singh vs Special Committee, Punjab Vidhan Sabha, the Supreme Court declared the expulsion of former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh as unconstitutional.
The ruling highlighted concerns about potential misuse of legislative privileges to target political adversaries or dissenters, particularly in relation to their past legislative actions.
The Supreme Court’s position in this instance raises apprehensions regarding vague grounds for expulsion, such as conduct unbecoming of a member or lowering the dignity of the House, which could potentially lead to the selective application of legislative privileges against political opponents.

What is Article 105:

Article 105 of the Constitution addresses the powers and privileges of Parliament and its members and committees.
Article 105(3) specifies that these powers, privileges, and immunities are to be defined by Parliament through law.
Until such definition, they are to be those in effect before the Constitution’s Forty-fourth Amendment Act, 1978.
The court emphasized that Article 105(3) does not grant absolute immunity to parliamentary proceedings, allowing for judicial scrutiny.
However, the court clarified that it won’t question the truth or correctness of the material relied upon by the legislature, nor will it assess the adequacy of the material or substitute its opinion for that of the legislature.
Certain Constitutional provisions, such as Article 122 or 212, impose restrictions on this judicial scrutiny.

Some facts about Ethics Committee:

Each of the two Houses of Parliament has an ethics committee. They deal with the members’
Besides overseeing the moral and ethical conduct of members, ethics committee also prepares a Code of Conduct for members, which are amended from time to time.
The ethics committee in Lok Sabha has 15 members while in Rajya Sabha has 10 members.
The members of the Ethics Committee are appointed by the Speaker for a period of one year.

What is the history of Ethics Committees:

A Presiding Officers’ Conference held in Delhi in 1996 first mooted the idea of ethics panels for the two Houses.
Then Vice President K R Narayanan constituted the Ethics Committee of the Upper House on March 4, 1997, and it was inaugurated that May to oversee the moral and ethical conduct of members and examine cases of misconduct referred to it.
The Rules applicable to the Committee of Privileges also apply to the ethics panel.
In the case of Lok Sabha, a study group of the House Committee of Privileges, after visiting Australia, the UK, and the US in 1997 to look into practices pertaining to the conduct and ethics of legislators, recommended the constitution of an Ethics Committee, but it could not be taken up by Lok Sabha.
The Committee of Privileges finally recommended the constitution of an Ethics Committee during the 13th Lok Sabha.
The late Speaker, G M C Balayogi, constituted an ad hoc Ethics Committee in 2000, which became a permanent part of the House only in 2015.

What is the Procedure for complaints:

Any individual has the right to file a complaint against a Member of Parliament (MP) by going through another Lok Sabha MP. This process requires providing evidence of the alleged misconduct and submitting an affidavit affirming that the complaint is not “false, frivolous, or vexatious.“
If the MP in question files the complaint, there is no need for an affidavit.
The Speaker has the authority to forward any complaint against an MP to the Ethics Committee.
Notably, the committee does not entertain complaints solely based on media reports or matters under judicial consideration.
Before deciding to investigate a complaint, the committee conducts a prima facie inquiry and subsequently issues recommendations based on its evaluation.
The committee then presents its report to the Speaker, who seeks the House’s opinion on whether to consider the report.
Additionally, there is provision for a half-hour discussion on the report.

9. India’s alarming ‘fixed dose combination’ problem

Subject: Science and Tech

Section: Health

Concept:

Antimicrobial resistance is at risk due to the study’s shocking findings on the frequency of antibiotics’ unapproved and illegal Fixed Dose Combinations (FDCs) in India.
Public health requires immediate action in response to the pharmaceutical industry’s use of FDCs as a means of circumventing legislation and regulatory inefficiencies.

Historical Aspect:

Tracing the issue back to 1978 and subsequent regulatory amendments provides context to the ongoing challenges.

Key Highlights:

Alarming Prevalence: In 2020, 60.5% of antibiotics in India were unapproved FDCs, with an additional 9.9% banned, raising concerns about antimicrobial resistance.
Patient Compliance vs. Risks: FDCs, aimed at improving patient adherence, pose risks due to potential interactions between combined drugs, necessitating a stringent approval process.
Pharmaceutical Industry’s Strategy: Exploitation of FDCs allows the industry to evade drug price regulations, contributing to the proliferation of irrational combinations.

Key Terms:

Fixed Dose Combination (FDC): Combinations of multiple drugs in a single dosage form, potentially affecting drug interactions and therapeutic efficacy.
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): The ability of microorganisms to resist the effects of medications, posing a global health threat.

Key Challenges:

Continued sale of unapproved FDCs highlights regulatory inefficiency, allowing non-compliance despite existing legal provisions.

Reliance on Section 26A orders reveals a reactive rather than proactive regulatory approach, indicating systemic challenges.

Key Issues:

Pharmaceutical Industry’s Exploitation: The strategic use of FDCs to avoid regulatory scrutiny undermines the integrity of drug pricing and quality.
Ineffectiveness of Regulatory Measures: Despite legal provisions, the regulatory system relies on reactive prohibitions rather than proactive prevention.

10. U.S. FDA approves pair of gene therapies for sickle cell disease

Subject: Science and Tech

Section: Biotechnology

Context:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a pair of gene therapies for sickle cell disease, including the first treatment based on the breakthrough CRISPR gene editing technology.

Key details:

The agency approved Lyfgenia from bluebird bio, and a separate treatment called Casgevy by partners Vertex Pharmaceuticals and CRISPR Therapeutics for the illness.
Both the therapies were approved for people aged 12 years and older.
The Vertex/CRISPR gene therapy uses the breakthrough gene editing technology that won its inventors the Nobel Prize in 2020.
Makers of both the therapies have pitched them as one-time treatments, but data on how long their effect lasts is limited.
The only longer-term treatment for sickle cell disease is a bone marrow transplant.

Sickle cell disease:

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders.
Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen.
Healthy red blood cells are round, and they move through small blood vessels to carry oxygen to all parts of the body.
SCD, causes the red blood cells to become hard and sticky and look like a C-shaped farm tool called a “sickle.”
The sickle cells die early, which causes a constant shortage of red blood cells.
Also, when they travel through small blood vessels, they get stuck and clog the blood flow.
This can cause pain and other serious complications (health problems) such as infection, acute chest syndrome and stroke.

What is CRISPR?

CRISPR is a powerful tool for editing genomes.
It allows researchers to easily alter DNA sequences and modify gene function.
It has many potential applications, including:correcting genetic defects, treating and preventing the spread of diseases, and improving the growth and resilience of crops.
“CRISPR” is shorthand for “CRISPR-Cas9.”
CRISPRs are specialized stretches of DNA, and the protein Cas9 (where Cas stands for “CRISPR-associated“) is an enzyme that acts like a pair of molecular scissors, capable of cutting strands of DNA.
CRISPR technology was adapted from the natural defense mechanisms of bacteria and archaea, a domain of relatively simple single-celled microorganisms.
These organisms use CRISPR-derived RNA to foil attacks by viruses.
When the components of CRISPR are transferred into more complex organisms those components can then manipulate genes, a process called “gene editing.” How CRISPR works as a genome-editing tool

About Casgevy:

Casgevy is a gene therapy that utilises the gene-editing tool CRISPR.
The process works by taking the patient’s bone marrow stem cells and editing them to express the fetal version of haemoglobin before transplanting these edited stem cells back into the patient.
Fetal haemoglobin is the version expressed in utero, before birth.
In most people, expression of the fetal version is turned down and the non-fetal version is turned on when they are a baby, although there is still usually a very small amount of fetal haemoglobin expressed.
Casgevy edits this by turning up the expression of the fetal version.
The functional haemoglobin produced from this version of the gene compensates for the non-functional haemoglobin that the non-fetal version of the gene is producing.
The edited stem cells are the patient’s own cells, just slightly edited, and as such there is no risk of rejection.
The results have the potential to be life-long.

About Lyfgenia:

Lyfgenia is a cell-based gene therapy.
Lyfgenia uses a lentiviral vector (gene delivery vehicle) for genetic modification and is approved for the treatment of patients 12 years of age and older with sickle cell disease and a history of vaso-occlusive events.
With Lyfgenia, the patient’s blood stem cells are genetically modified to produce HbAT87Q, a gene-therapy derived hemoglobin that functions similarly to hemoglobin A, which is the normal adult hemoglobin produced in persons not affected by sickle cell disease.
Red blood cells containing HbAT87Q have a lower risk of sickling and occluding blood flow.
These modified stem cells are then delivered to the patient.