Staff Editorial: Wilson: three years later

Just over three years ago, on Sept. 17, 1999, Jesse Gelsinger died at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

The 18-year-old was part of a study, led by Penn's own James M. Wilson, and had just received, at Penn's own Institute for Human Gene Therapy, a massive dose of a modified virus designed to repair a faulty gene.

Of course, as those who watched NBC's Dateline on Friday night know, the story does not end there. That's because the study that led to Gelsinger's death was marred by a mind-boggling array of ethical and moral lapses on the part of Wilson and his team. Their failures as scientists and doctors were truly chilling. And, regardless of their motivation -- for financial gain or from a genuine desire to find a cure for Gelsinger's awful genetic ailment -- their actions both before and after Gelsinger's death were inexcusable.

Wilson no longer leads the I.H.G.T., but he remains on the faculty of the School of Medicine. And Penn continues to defend their embattled researcher, though he can no longer do any research and his credibility as a doctor and academic have been erased by his tragically irresponsible actions.

There is not a single compelling reason why James M. Wilson should be allowed to remain at Penn. He is not only dead weight and an impediment to further gene therapy innovation at this university -- he is a black mark on Penn's distinguished history and an embarrassment to its remarkable faculty.

As we mark the third anniversary of a tragedy that should never have happened, we remember the sacrifice of a brave young man while condemning the outrage that is Wilson's continuing presence at Penn.

It is becoming a sorrowfully repetitive refrain on this page, but it is no less true today than it was two years ago. For the good of the University and for what's left of his own honor, James M. Wilson must go, and it is high time that Penn's leaders took serious action to deal with this most serious of issues.

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