"Gene Therapy and the Boy Who Saved It" (Encore presentation.)

On this edition of ST, we listen back to an interview that first aired in May of last year. At that time, we spoke with Dr. Ricki Lewis, a geneticist, journalist, professor, and genetic counselor. She's also the author of one of the most widely used college textbooks about genetics --- "Human Genetics: Concepts and Applications" --- and her latest book, now out in paperback, is "The Forever Fix: Gene Therapy and the Boy Who Saved It." Dr. Lewis was scheduled to deliver a free-to-the-public seminar on "The Forever Fix" here on the TU campus tomorrow afternoon --- at the invitation of the TU Department of Biological Science --- but this event has now been CANCELLED due to travel problems connected with inclement weather. As was noted of "The Forever Fix" in a starred review in Publishers Weekly: "In this impressive, meticulously researched study of the exciting new developments in gene therapy, geneticist and journalist Lewis looks closely at the history of setbacks plaguing the treatment of rare genetic diseases as well as recent breakthroughs. . . . With each success, as Lewis recounts in this rigorous, energetic work, possibilities in treating HIV infection and dozens of other diseases might be around the next corner." Also on today's show, our commentator Barry Friedman reflects on a week spent with his 86-year-old father in Las Vegas; the piece is called "The End of Buffets."