Klonen und Transgenese
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Waking the Sleeping Giant: Gene Therapy in Decline?

 Paul L Hermonat

A search of the literature shows that overall interest in gene therapy, as indicated by publication numbers, has been on a slow decline for over a decade, since the year 2000. In spite of this the stunning potential of gene therapy to revolutionize modern medicine remains unfulfilled. The bottleneck of NIH funding for basic research and lack of means to enter into the clinical trials pipeline (toxicology and Phase I-III clinical trials) strongly limits advancements in gene therapy-based medical breakthroughs. Within the declining general field, publications on adeno-associated virus (AAV) - and lentivirus-based gene delivery continue to rise and offer some hope for the future.