Professional organizations such as the American Society of Gene Therapy (ASGT) have the responsibility of defining the standards of scientific and, to a lesser extent, personal conduct expected of its members. On rare occasions, additional position statements must be developed in response to new challenges and issues, as exemplified by the strong and influential ASGT position statement (April 2000) on principles of financial conflict of interest in clinical research (http://www.asgt.org/position_statements/conflict_of_interest.php). Because the methods and codes that define scientifically and ethically acceptable approaches to clinical human research are a cornerstone of the ASGT's activities, it is vital for the Society to respond to events and issues that may pose important new challenges to those tenets.