Progress and problems with the use of viral vectors for gene therapy.
Gene therapy has a history of controversy. Encouraging results are starting to emerge from the clinic, but questions are still being asked about the safety of this new molecular medicine. With the development of a leukaemia-like syndrome in two of the small number of patients that have been cured of a disease by gene therapy, it is timely to contemplate how far this technology has come, and how far it still has to go.
Thomas
Clare E
CE
Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
Ehrhardt
Anja
A
Kay
Mark A
MA
D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000235:genetics; D003673:Defective Viruses / Q000235:genetics; D000229:Dependovirus / Q000235:genetics; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000639:trends*; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006801:Humans; D016086:Lentivirus / Q000235:genetics; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000235:genetics; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000235:genetics; D014780:Viruses / Q000235:genetics*