As the curious eyes of the world shifted recently to a sheep named Dolly and the possibility of human cloning, some geneticists may have been breathing sighs of relief. Researchers in gene therapy, after all, have been the ones in the public spotlight since the mid-1980s, when predictions first started that their work would lead to cures for virtually every human genetic disease. With an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 diseases caused by genetic defects, the task for these researchers is monumental.
Expectations are high.
Miller will discuss that question and the problems facing gene therapy in a lecture on Friday, Feb. 6, from noon to 1 p.m. in room T-625 of the Health Sciences Center. Scientists spend too much time touting preliminary findings that have been blown out of proportion, Miller says. What is needed for gene therapy to move forward is vigorous attention to fundamental problems, he added. In gene therapy, researchers typically use viruses to transfer DNA to cells with genetic defects. Retroviruses promote stable integration of their genes into the DNA of the target cell, allowing persistent expression of therapeutic genes carried by the virus.