Editor's note:After a distinguished career in academic medicine, including stints at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, INSERM and Genethon, Federico Mingozzi joined Spark Therapeutics 3 years ago as chief scientific officer. Mingozzi aims to build on the company's landmark success with Luxturna, the approved therapy for certain retinal diseases such as the type 2 version of Leber's congenital amaurosis. In this exclusive interview withHuman Gene TherapyExecutive Editor Kevin Davies, Mingozzi discusses his career highlights and surveys the hopes and challenges facing the human gene therapy community.