Designing a dedicated clinical facility to meet the needs of existing
and developing Gene Therapy Protocols presents a unique challenge. Her
e, we review some of the issues we faced and share some of our design
concepts. An optimal Clinical Gene Therapy Lab must meet relevant regu
latory guidelines, interface with other hospital labs as well as the c
linic and patient care areas, be efficient and flexible in utilization
of space, and have the potential to meet future needs without continu
al renovation. As clinical science expands to include more gene transf
er approaches, specific laboratory areas for this type of work will be
come increasingly necessary. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.