Who Oversees the Research?

In the United States, gene therapy techniques must be approved by the federal government. The Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (glossary ID 93) oversees gene therapy experiments. Like drugs, products must pass the requirements of the Food and Drug Administration. Gene therapy is a competitive and potentially lucrative (glossary id 47) field, and patents (glossary id 94) have been awarded for certain techniques.