history of gene therapy

"On September 14, 1990 researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health performed the first (approved) gene therapy procedure on four-year old Ashanti DeSilva. Born with a rare genetic disease called severe combined immune deficiency (SCID), she lacked a healthy immune system, and was vulnerable to every passing germ. Children with this illness usually develop overwhelming infections and rarely survive to adulthood; a common childhood illness like chickenpox is life-threatening. Ashanti led a cloistered existence--avoiding contact with people outside her family, remaining in the sterile environment of her home, and battling frequent illnesses with massive amounts of antibiotics. (http://www.georgetown.edu/research/nrcbl/scopenotes/sn24.html)"

Since 1990 there have been several clinical trials for different types of gene therapies. However, little progress has been made since those early trials in 1990. Gene therapy suffered a major setback in 1999 after 18 year old Jesse Gelsinger died just 4 days after receiving gene therapy treatment. Jesse was part of a trial for Transcarboxylase deficiency. He died from an acute immune response to the retrovirus used to deliver the gene. Since 1999 there have been several other cases of patients developing a rare form of leukemia that is believed to be linked to the gene therapy. In January of 2003 the FDA placed a temporary ban on all retroviral gene therapy because of the link to leukemia.