Gene transfer has allowed a number of biological issues in haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation to be addressed. Gene-marking studies have shown that residual malignant cells in infused marrow may contribute to relapse in acute myeloid leukaemia, neuroblastoma and chronic myeloid leukaemia. Double gene-marking techniques with distinguishable retroviral vectors are being used to compare purging techniques and the reconstitution of different sources of stem cells. In allogeneic bone-marrow transplantation, gene-marking has demonstrated that adoptively transferred cytotoxic T cells can persist and reconstitute antiviral immunity.