Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe Kirsti Pigney is participating in a trial for gene therapy to treat blindness. She cant tell whether the therapy is working, but said her vision hasnt worsened.

By Carolyn Y. Johnson / Globe Staff/ July 13, 2013

Years after it was hyped, vilified for the death of a teenager, and then mostly forgotten by the general public, gene therapy has rebounded, and hospitals, companies, and investors in the Boston area have jumped on the bandwagon.

Patients are enrolling in a growing number of clinical trials here, and in some cases showing dramatic improvement. The technique, in which doctors infect patient cells with viruses engineered to carry useful genes, has matured and evolved.

Once trumpeted as a possible panacea for diseases ranging from sickle cell anemia to cystic fibrosis, gene therapy faced serious questions after the high-profile death of a Pennsylvania teenager in a clinical trial in 1999. But some researchers continued to work to overcome the safety and technical hurdles. Full story for BostonGlobe.com subscribers.

Copyright 2013 Globe Newspaper Company.

Get the full story with unlimited access to BostonGlobe.com. Just 99 for 4 weeks.

Get Access Now

See more here:
Testing of gene therapies expanding at Boston-area hospitals - Boston.com

Comments are closed.