The amount of money flowing into cell and gene therapy development suggests investor confidence in the field’s future remains high, even as clinical, regulatory and commercial setbacks have hindered a number of companies, such as Bluebird bio, Biogen and Adverum Biotechnologies.
Bluebird, for example, has had to halt testing of several of its gene therapies in response to three clinical trial participants developing cancer. Two of those cases were later ruled unrelated to treatment or were misdiagnosed, while investigation into the third is ongoing. But the events have revived long-standing safety concerns that could affect other companies besides Bluebird.
