What Gene Therapy’s Advances Look Like Through Lens Of Scientist Who’s Been Behind Bars For Years
Dr. W. French Anderson is considered the father of gene therapy, but that was before he was convicted in Los Angeles County of sexually molesting a colleague’s young daughter. “I got out of prison and looked at all of the [gene therapy] literature and felt sort of like Rip Van Winkle waking up,” Anderson said. "It would be nearly impossible to catch up."
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"Father Of Gene Therapy" Faces Harsh Reality: A Tarnished Legacy And An Ankle Monitor
This is what it has come to for a world-renowned scientist who was convicted of sexually molesting a colleague’s young daughter. [Dr. W. French] Anderson has been hailed as the father of gene therapy and was honored at George H.W. Bush’s White House. In 1991, the New York Times ran a laudatory story headlined “Dr. Anderson’s Gene Machine.” He started the first gene therapy company and sold it to a major drug maker in 1995 for $325 million, was a Time “hero of medicine” in 1997 and scientific consultant to the 1997 film “Gattaca,” and was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1998 (with singer Reba McEntire). ...But in July 2006, Anderson was convicted of three counts of lewd acts on a child and one count of continuous sexual abuse, including fondling her genitals. (Begley, 7/23)