We kick things off with our inaugural issue of Cell and Gene Therapy Insights' Spotlight – Navigating the Global Regulatory Landscape – providing the latest updates on the regulation of cell and gene therapies from three key territories: Japan, Europe and the USA. As global Regulatory Agencies continue to evolve their policies to match the pace of development in cell and gene therapy, it is essential for both academic and commercial scientists to understand the implications of these changes on their path to translation and product commercialization.

The rapidly advancing developments in gene editing have numerous implications and applications for the cell and gene therapy field – from disease modelling through to the potential editing of patient-derived cells to modify/correct disorders.

The Gene Editing spotlight features a lead review from Prof. Andrew Bassett, Oxford University, UK discussing the main gene-editing technologies in detail: Zinc Fingers, TALENs and CRISPR-Cas9, comparing mechanisms of action, limitations and opportunities for future development and applications. Building upon this, we present a series of Expert Insight articles discussing potential clinical applications in more detail.