Angela Ryan

About the author: Angela Ryan studies molecular biology at King's College in London, England.

Clinical advancements in gene therapy research have been overstated. The so-called successes of gene therapy are merely anecdotal and have not demonstrated clinical efficacy, yet they are oversold by scientists seeking research funding. Furthermore, in 2000, gene therapy clinical trials were halted when it was learned that serious adverse effects caused by such trials—including infections, fever, and unexplained deaths—were not reported to the National Institutes of Health. Nonetheless, current gene therapy protocols often involve techniques that are ineffective and possibly dangerous, putting human subjects at risk of serious adverse effects or illness. Real progress and safety in gene therapy research cannot be achieved until the complexities of the human genome are...