Fahad Al Hashimi, a 43-year-old Emirati who has lived with thalassemia since infancy and needed blood transfusions every three weeks, is now living a markedly different life after undergoing CRISPR gene-editing treatment at Yas Clinics in Dubai.
Al Hashimi spent around 40 days hospitalised for the procedure. Within about a month, his blood counts began rising, and by the two-to-three month mark he noticed significant improvements in his energy and physical capability. He can now exercise, travel and make plans without structuring his life around transfusion schedules.
The pivotal clinical trial behind the treatment was originally designed for patients up to age 35, but Al Hashimi, in his 40s, was still assessed as eligible and able to receive the therapy.
UAE doctors have previously said the treatment has been used on roughly 370 patients with rare blood disorders worldwide over the past six years, though the exact number treated at Yas Clinics specifically has not been disclosed.
The case illustrates how gene-editing technology is moving from clinical trials into real-world treatment in the UAE, offering new hope for thalassemia patients and others with inherited blood disorders across the region.