Welcome to Division of Human Gene Therapy

About Us

The goal of the Program in Human Gene Therapy is to develop gene transfer technologies and use them for hepatic gene therapy for the treatment of genetic and acquired diseases. The general approach is to develop new vector systems and delivery methods, test them in the appropriate animal models, uncover the mechanisms involved in vector transduction, and use the most promising approaches in clinical trials. Specifically, we work on a variety of viral and non-viral vector systems. Our major disease models are hemophilia, hepatitis C and B viral infections, and diabetes. The second major focus includes the role that small RNAs play in mammalian gene regulation.

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Mark A. Kay, MD, PhD, is the Director of the Program in Human Gene Therapy, and Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Genetics at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Kay is one of the founders of the American Society of Gene Therapy and served as the President in 2005-2006.  Dr. Kay received the E. Mead Johnson Award for Research in Pediatrics in 2000 and was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation in 1997. He has organized many national and international conferences including the first Gordon Conference related to gene therapy.