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The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) should refocus its oversight of gene-transfer research, the US Institute of Medicine (IOM) says in a report released today.
The analysis concludes that the NIH’s Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee, or RAC, should no longer review most gene-therapy research. But there are some areas that it says the RAC should still oversee — such as studies that involve new gene-transfer vectors or that pose particular safety worries. The panel adds that the NIH should also give the committee a broader remit to review any kind of emerging research in humans that deserves special scrutiny because it raises safety or ethical issues.
The report is a point in favour of researchers who requested the review, saying that gene therapy should no longer be singled out for special public scrutiny. It is now up to the NIH to decide what to do.
The agency will take a close look at the findings, NIH Director Francis Collins said in a statement today. “The field has evolved greatly over the past two decades, and an examination of...
The analysis concludes that the NIH’s Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee, or RAC, should no longer review most gene-therapy research. But there are some areas that it says the RAC should still oversee — such as studies that involve new gene-transfer vectors or that pose particular safety worries. The panel adds that the NIH should also give the committee a broader remit to review any kind of emerging research in humans that deserves special scrutiny because it raises safety or ethical issues.
The report is a point in favour of researchers who requested the review, saying that gene therapy should no longer be singled out for special public scrutiny. It is now up to the NIH to decide what to do.
The agency will take a close look at the findings, NIH Director Francis Collins said in a statement today. “The field has evolved greatly over the past two decades, and an examination of...