Dealing with one of the most controversial aspects of the new biology, Gene Therapy explores the development and future of this area of research and explains why it is considered such a promising branch of science. This encyclopedia presents an overview of genetic defects, viruses, and gene therapy in a way that students and general readers will find easy to understand. Comprehensive in scope, this book provides an account of the research leading to the first successful gene therapy trial and discusses the worldwide attention and subsequent controversy caused by the tragic death of a patient r