Academic institutions have also established policies governing investigators' financial conflicts of interest that are consistent with these federal regulations. The American Society of Gene Therapy is not a regulatory body and it should beware of becoming one. International, national and institutional guidelines on standards of care must be rigorously followed, approved protocols strictly adhered to, serious adverse events promptly reported to all appropriate regulatory and review bodies. Relevant federally and institutionally established regulations and guidelines in financial conflicts must also be abided by. The American Society of Gene Therapy requests its members to abstain from or to discontinue any arrangement that is not consonant with this policy.
Gene therapy is a revolutionary approach to fight and prevent disease.
The ASGT is the largest medical professional organization representing researchers and scientists dedicated to discovering new gene therapies. ASGT was established in 1996, and has grown to more than 2,000 members. It is committed to promoting and fostering the exchange and dissemination of information and ideas related to gene therapy, to encouraging the general field of research involving gene therapy and to promoting professional and public education in all areas of gene therapy. In principle, the ethical standards for clinical research in gene therapy should be the same as those demanded in all areas of medicine. Therapeutic agents used in clinical trials are often produced by for-profit companies, which can give rise to circumstances that present a financial conflict of interest to the investigators.