Gene therapy for cystic fibrosis

The gene for cystic fibrosis was identified in 1989 and this together with the emerging technology of gene therapy heralded a new dawn for the treatment of genetic disease. The initial optimism however gave way to the realisation that gene therapy for cystic fibrosis was unlikely to be straightforward. The lung was considered an ideal organ to target due to ease of access, but subsequent research has shown that the airway surface provides an efficient barrier to topically applied gene transfer agents. A number of Phase I clinical safety trials were carried out through the 1990s and provided proof of concept evidence that delivery of DNA by either viral or non-viral means was safe though not clinically efficacious. Current research is now focusing more on the barriers faced by delivery agents, with the aim that more efficient gene delivery will lead to a gene therapeutic for cystic fibrosis.