Gene therapy hailed as ‘medical magic wand’ for hereditary swelling disorder

The treatment was developed using the Nobel prize-winning gene editing tool Crispr. Photograph: Bill Oxford/Getty Images/iStockphoto

A groundbreaking gene therapy has been hailed as a “medical magic wand” after the treatment transformed the lives of patients with a hereditary disorder that causes painful and potentially fatal swelling.

Patients who took part in the first human trial of the therapy experienced a dramatic improvement in their symptoms, and many were able to come off long-term medication and return to life as normal.