A Columbus Children's Hospital Expands Its Gene-Therapy Program

Riverside Children's Hospital in Columbus is expanding its gene-therapy program, broadening the set of rare inherited disorders it can treat with therapies that target the underlying genetic cause rather than the symptoms. The expansion positions the hospital among a small number of centers offering such treatments regionally.

The science is genuinely remarkable — a single treatment can, in the best cases, address a condition that once had no answer. But the therapies are extraordinarily expensive, and hospitals expanding these programs must build the financial and logistical machinery to deliver them.

Hospital leaders were candid that access remains a central concern. A breakthrough that only a handful of families can reach raises hard questions, and the program is working with insurers and support organizations to widen the door.