It’s been 46 years since researchers Theodore Friedmann and Richard Roblin published a landmark paper in the journal Science that posed a provocative question: “Gene therapy for human genetic disease?” And while clinical trials for gene therapy drugs have become much more common in the past 20 years — more than 2,400 had been conducted...
Between navigating relatively uncharted territory and the practical limitations of most gene therapy delivery systems, ensuring successful clinical trials of these products is a serious challenge for even the most experienced researchers. Compounding this is the long-term nature of most gene therapy trials — it’s not unusual to have follow-up periods of a decade or more....
Like any new medical product, gene therapies must undergo rigorous approval processes. However, there are a number of additional regulations for gene therapies that don’t apply to conventional pharmaceuticals. This is especially true within the European Union. (It’s important to note that while most gene therapy studies are based in the U.S. and Europe — which...
Gene therapy is a hot topic in clinical research today — and for good reason! These technologies have the potential to treat — and in some cases even cure — a wide range of conditions, including rare genetic disorders that previously had no effective therapies. What Is Gene Therapy? Gene therapies are a diverse group of...
Over the past few years, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of genetically modified cells for cancer immunotherapy, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells, recombinant T-cell receptor T cells and genetically modified CD34+ cells for the treatment of hematological malignancies. Clinical trials of immuno-gene therapeutics are becoming increasingly common, and regulatory guidelines...