The Gene Messenger: Advancing Neurological Gene Therapy

On Monday, August 18th, 2003 Dr. Michael Kaplitt administered the first trial of neurological gene therapy in a human patient. In a procedure that almost didn’t happen, he used adeno-associated virus to deliver a gene into the brain of a patient with Parkinson’s. The results were groundbreaking and set new avenues of research in neurological gene therapy in motion. In this episode, Dr. Kaplitt tells the story of this breakthrough, and what he’s working on next to continue evolving the field of neurosurgery.