Development Of Gene Therapies Delayed By Lack Of Bespoke Viruses.

reports the biggest obstacle to experimental gene therapies may be the disabled viruses that are “used to slip good genes into cells that lack them.” The Times says that there are few gene-therapy companies that “have the factories or expertise to make the viruses for use in clinical trials, where standards are exacting and comprehensive.” Firms that can create viruses “are swamped with orders and requests,” resulting in a logjam. Novartis recently received FDA approval to market treatment for a rare blood cancer, but to obtain the viruses it needed, the company “signed up years in advance with Oxford BioMedica,” and offered a lucrative contract “that included a provision to pay Oxford a share of the royalties when the drug was approved.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/27/health/gene-therapy-virus-shortage.html