A Death in the Laboratory: The Politics of the Gelsinger Aftermath

“Tragedy at Penn; boy, 18, dies in gene therapy experiment.” “FDA says gene therapists don't tell research subjects the truth about potential risks.” “Congress wants to know why 18-year-old died in Penn trial.” “Gelsinger's father sues Penn and its geneticists.” “FDA puts hold on HGT research.” These paraphrases of trumpeted newspaper and journal article headlines reveal gene therapy's current public image. They send shivers up the backs of human subject researchers everywhere, particularly biomedical scientists.