Many of my colleagues might be surprised to learn that I spent the past 25 years in the field of gene therapy. My academic career seemed to focus on pancreas transplantation and development of immunosuppressants. So why the change to gene therapy? First of all, my direct interest was the application of gene therapy toward a cure for diabetes. Second, the field of transplantation has not taken advantage of the potential applications of gene therapy. In fact, there is a possibility that gene therapy could cure diseases so a transplant will not be required. A good example is oxalosis, which in severe cases requires replacement of the liver and kidney. Successful transduction of hepatocytes with the gene coding for oxalase would solve the problem without further intervention. Eduardo Salido from Tenerife has performed groundbreaking work which could make Phase I trials imminent.