As gene therapy enters its sixth year of high-visibility research, major drug companies are buying in, helping lay the technology's foundation and launching clinical trials. More than 100 gene therapy trials-most privately funded-are under way. And while the field's ultimate success is still quite uncertain, one thing is clear: There is a lot of science to be done and research opportunities to be pursued.
ACADEMIA, INDUSTRY UNITE: Jack Roth of U. Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center lauds drug firms' investment.
BUSTLE: James Barrett notes that gene therapy provides "a whole wealth of opportunity for scientists."
The three diseases-CF, cancer, and AIDS-top gene therapy researchers' current hit list. Most CF investigators hope to inject a missing gene into patients. Many cancer and AIDS researchers want to slip a "suicide gene" into infected cells, causing them to self-destruct or be eaten by the immune system. In each situation, scientists are in early ...
