Study: UF Is World’s Top-Ranked Institution for Published Gene Therapy Research

The University of Florida is the world’s top contributor to scientific knowledge and literature about a widely used gene therapy technique, according to newly published research.

From 1991 to 2022, UF researchers published 605 articles in scientific journals about the adeno-associated virus vector, or AAV. The therapy uses a harmless, engineered virus to deliver a functioning copy of a defective gene. Gene therapy discoveries at UF and elsewhere have led to breakthrough treatments for hereditary diseases affecting the eye, muscles, blood and heart and launched the field of genetic medicine.

UF researchers accounted for 10% of all published AAV research and their work was cited 36,758 times by other scientists during the 31-year study period. The findings by a group of researchers in China were published in the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology.

UF is the only institution with three current or former faculty members among the world’s top 10 authors of genetic therapy and AAV publications.

“This is a lifetime achievement for the faculty at UF. It is a testament to what has been contributed by UF to the worldwide knowledge of AAV. Their work has really enabled the whole, current era of genetic medicine,” said Barry J. Byrne, M.D, Ph.D., a professor and associate chair for research in the UF College of Medicine’s department of pediatrics and the Earl and Christy Powell university chair in genetics.

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