PLANS for using HIV and related viruses to overcome a major hurdle in gene therapy have been dealt a blow. Unlike most of the vectors used in gene therapy, HIV and other “lentiviruses” should be able to deliver genes to cells that aren’t dividing. But the latest research shows that they don’t always do so.
Many gene therapy trials have yielded disappointing results, mainly because so few cells in the target tissue take up the therapeutic gene. At any one time, the vast majority of our cells aren’t dividing. So finding a vector that can carry genes into these cells…
