The goal of the Program in Human Gene Therapy is to develop gene transfer technologies and use them for hepatic gene therapy for the treatment of genetic and acquired diseases. The general approach is to develop new vector systems and delivery methods, test them in the appropriate animal models, uncover the mechanisms involved in vector transduction, and use the most promising approaches in clinical trials. Specifically, we work on a variety of viral and non-viral vector systems. Our major disease models are hemophilia, hepatitis C and B viral infections, and diabetes. The second major focus includes the role that small RNAs play in mammalian gene regulation.