The risk, benefit and cost analysis generated by gene therapy is highlighted this week in an article by Meredith Knight, entitled Gene therapy dilemma: Would you tweak your child’s genes if it might prolong life but leave her deaf? Writing for Genetic Literacy Project, Knight discusses the various issues that come into play with the likely upcoming surge of gene therapy treatments. As she points out, the players are not just the afflicted individual and his or her family but also governments, drug developers, healthcare providers and insurance companies.