There are many clinical trials underway for the development of gene therapies, and some have resulted in gene therapy products being commercially approved already. Significant progress was made to develop safer and more effective strategies to deliver and regulate genetic products. An unsolved aspect is the immune system, which can affect the efficiency of gene therapy in different ways. Here we present an overview of approved gene therapy products and the immune response elicited by gene delivery systems. These include responses against the vector or its content after delivery and against the product of the corrected gene. Strategies to overcome the hurdles include hiding the vector or/and the transgene product from the immune system and hiding the immune system from the vector/transgene product. Combining different strategies, such as patient screening and intelligent vector design, gene therapy is set to make a difference in the life of patients with severe genetic diseases.

Quality control of drinking water is essential for safeguarding public health, particularly in densely populated urban environments. Environmental microbiological monitoring can enhance traditional surveillance by providing deeper insights into the dissemination of pathogens and antimicrobial resistance genes in aquatic systems. In this study, we evaluated the quality of wastewater and treated water from two urban water supply systems, representing the southern and northern regions of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, across four climatic seasons between 2024 and 2025. Fifteen water samples, comprising raw water from Guaíba Lake and treated water from public distribution points, were analyzed. The Water Quality Index was calculated, microbiological indicators were quantified, and carbapenem resistance genes were detected using molecular assays. Most treated water samples complied with bacteriological standards; however, the blaOXA-48-like gene was recurrently identified in both wastewater and treated water. No resistance genes were detected during the summer, while the blaVIM gene appeared exclusively in spring samples. The detection of carbapenem resistance genes in the absence of cultivable coliforms suggests the persistence of extracellular DNA or viable but non-culturable bacteria, underscoring limitations of conventional microbiological monitoring. Integrating classical microbiological methods with molecular assays provides a more comprehensive evaluation of water quality and supports decision-making within a One Health framework.

Quality control of drinking water is essential for safeguarding public health, particularly in densely populated urban environments. Environmental microbiological monitoring can complement conventional surveillance by providing deeper insights into the dissemination of pathogens and antimicrobial resistance genes within aquatic systems. In this study, we assessed the quality of wastewater and treated water from two urban water supply systems, representing the southern and northern regions of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, across four climatic seasons between 2024 and 2025. Fifteen water samples were analyzed, including raw water from Guaíba Lake and treated water collected from public distribution points. The Water Quality Index was calculated, microbiological indicators were quantified, and carbapenem resistance genes were detected using molecular assays. Most treated water samples complied with established bacteriological standards; however, the bla_OXA-48-like gene was recurrently detected in both wastewater and treated water. No resistance genes were identified during the summer, whereas the bla_VIM gene was detected exclusively in spring samples. The presence of carbapenem resistance genes in the absence of cultivable coliforms suggests the persistence of extracellular DNA or viable but non-culturable bacteria, highlighting limitations inherent to conventional microbiological monitoring. Integrating classical microbiological methods with molecular assays enables a more comprehensive assessment of water quality and strengthens evidence-based decision-making within a One Health framework.