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Viral Vectors for Gene Transfer.

Yong Hong Chen¹, Megan S Keiser¹, Beverly L Davidson^1,2

¹The Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Current Protocols in Mouse Biology

|November 29, 2018

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Viral vectors, including AAV, retroviruses, and adenoviruses, are essential for delivering genetic material into cells for research and gene therapy. This overview details their applications, advantages, and disadvantages.

Keywords:

adeno-associated viruses adeno-viruses gene therapy lentiviruses retroviruses viral vector

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Area of Science:

Biotechnology
Molecular Biology
Virology

Background:

Viral vectors leverage natural viral mechanisms for genetic material delivery.
Genetic modification of viruses is crucial to disable replication while retaining payload delivery.
Effective gene delivery is fundamental for advancements in biological research and therapeutic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

To provide an updated overview of commonly used viral vectors.
To discuss the advantages and disadvantages of viral vectors in research and gene therapy.
To highlight key viral vector types for genetic material delivery.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on viral vector technology.
Comparative analysis of adeno-associated viruses (AAV), retroviruses/lentiviruses, and adenoviruses (Ads).
Discussion of applications in research and clinical gene therapy settings.

Main Results:

Adeno-associated viruses (AAV) offer broad tropism and low immunogenicity.
Retroviruses and lentiviruses enable stable integration of genetic material into the host genome.
Adenoviruses (Ads) provide high transduction efficiency but can elicit strong immune responses.

Conclusions:

Viral vectors are versatile tools for genetic material delivery in diverse biological applications.
Selection of an appropriate viral vector depends on specific research or therapeutic goals.
Ongoing research aims to optimize viral vector safety and efficacy for gene therapy.