These are boom times for gene therapy, an innovative type of medicine that works to treat disease at the genetic level to offer a longer-lasting treatment and potentially even a cure.
The Food and Drug Administration has seen a "noticeable uptick" in the area, Dr. Peter Marks, the agency's top official overseeing gene therapy, said on Thursday at the Gene Therapy for Rare Disorders conference in Boston. Marks heads the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
