Transgene: Vectors are us

It's not unusual for biotech companies to begin life with one mission and then segue to another. Transgene S.A. was founded in 1980 as a research boutique that cloned and developed proteins such as Factor VIII under contract to the pharmaceutical industry. By 1992, the company decided it made more sense to put genes directly into humans. Its major focus now is in vivo delivery of gene therapies.

Transgene began with the thesis that multiple vectors would be required for different diseases and different tissue or cell targets. The company's portfolio includes five families of vectors: synthetic, adenoviral, retroviral, poxviral and cellular. ...