Death Prompts a Review of Gene Therapy Vector

The death last week of a patient receiving experimental gene therapy for arthritis has triggered a federal review of all trials using the same vector. Few details have been made public; if it turns out that the therapy is to blame, it would be another blow to the field's image. Within 8 years, one patient has died as a result of gene therapy and three have acquired leukemia. This would be the first fatality in a trial not studying a life-threatening disease.