Ronald G. Crystal wins Pioneer Award from Human Gene Therapy

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering NewsJan 31 2014

For developing first in vivo adenoviral gene delivery vector

In recognition of his seminal work on adenoviral vectors, which accelerated the translation of gene therapy from the research laboratory to the clinic, Ronald G. Crystal, MD (Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, New York City), has received a Pioneer Award from Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Human Gene Therapy is commemorating its 25th anniversary by bestowing this honor on the leading 12 Pioneers in the field of cell and gene therapy selected by a blue ribbon committee and publishing a Pioneer Perspective by each of the award recipients. The article by Dr. Crystal is available on the Human Gene Therapy website.

Currently it is standard practice to use a modified virus as a transport vehicle to deliver therapeutic genes to patients. But this concept was new, innovative, and technically challenging when Dr. Crystal began developing the molecular tools and methods in the late 1980s. In the Pioneer Perspective "Adenovirus: The First Effective In Vivo Gene Delivery Vector," Dr. Crystal provides historical insights on the many years of research and testing needed to design, optimize, manufacture, and evaluate the performance of adenoviral vectors. He describes the first in vivo studies, the first human studies, and the many current applications of this useful gene delivery system.

"Ron led the way in the clinical translation of adenoviral vectors in the very early days of gene therapy," says James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Human Gene Therapy, and Director of the Gene Therapy Program, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia.