Retroviral gene therapy and its application in oncohematology

A symposium entitled "Foetal and Neonatal Cell Transplantation and Retroviral Gene Therapy" recently organized under the aegis of the Mérieux Foundation in Annecy, France, brought together 100 scientists and clinicians from European countries and the United States. The last day of the meeting focused on retroviral gene therapy in oncohematology. The speakers provided the basis for therapeutic applications of gene transfer and showed practical directions to be followed in the near future. Although it may be mainly restricted to in vitro manipulation of human cells at start, gene therapy is already applicable to the treatment of genetic disorders, cancer, and viral infections. The reality of gene therapy was well illustrated by the nature of the questions raised by clinicians and scientists during the meeting.