Gene therapy is defined as the introduction of genes into tissues or cells via gene transfer， with the purpose of deriving a therapeutic or preventative benefit from the function of these Gene transfer is achieved using a vector ? a kind of vehicle that carries the Somatic gene transfer only targets body cells (somatic cells) Introducing genes into the germline is illegal in G The first well-documented gene therapy studies were launched in the early By 2005 it was estimated that more than 1，100 gene therapy studies had been conducted worldwide， one-third of them in Europe， and a significant number in G The DFG is currently funding a Priority Programme for research groups， some of which are international leaders in their field， that examine the entry and persistence of gene therapy vectors in target
