Flemish Minister for Economy, Science and Innovation Jo Brouns has inaugurated a new research facility for innovative gene therapy at KU Leuven. The new lab and office space for the Trellis research group, led by Professor Els Henckaerts, will carry out research into new, advanced medicines based on harmless viruses that can repair or replace defective genes, thus curing genetic diseases. The research facility was funded by 'Vlaamse Veerkracht' ('Flemish Resilience'), the post-coronavirus relaunch plan from the Flemish Government.
Gene therapy is a revolutionary way of curing genetic-related diseases that have so far remained untreatable. In the past decade, gene therapy has seen a sharp rise, with hundreds of clinical trials currently underway and an increasing number of approved medicines. The bulk of these products make use of a harmless virus, the adeno-associated virus (AAV). The virus is re-programmed to deliver a helpful gene to a patient’s cells thus correcting any genetic abnormality that might be present. The development and production of such medicines are particularly complex and require specific multidisciplinary expertise. Moreover, Europe is currently lagging behind the US as to investments
KU Leuven formally opens new research centre for innovative gene therapy - News