The future of gene therapy in the UK

Gene therapy encompasses a spectrum of therapeutic strategies, ranging from the compelling concept of using wild type copies of genes to correct the root cause of recessive genetic disorders through to using genes to mediate powerful and selective toxicity to cancer cells. Inspirational for the general public as well as the bioscience community, gene therapy has been grabbing the headlines--for good and bad reasons--regularly for the past 15 years. In this personal appraisal, Professor Len Seymour assesses the progress of gene therapy in the UK and what it might deliver in the foreseeable future.