E pluribus unum: 50 years of research, millions of viruses, and one goal: tailored acceleration of AAV evolution

Fifty years ago, a Science paper by Atchison et al. reported a newly discovered virus that would soon become known as adeno-associated virus (AAV) and that would subsequently emerge as one of the most versatile and most auspicious vectors for human gene therapy. A large part of its attraction stems...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Grimm, Dirk (Author) , Zolotukhin, Sergei (Author)
Format: Article (Journal)
Language:English
Published: 2015
In: Molecular therapy
Year: 2016, Volume: 23, Issue: 12, Pages: 1819-1831
ISSN:1525-0024
DOI:10.1038/mt.2015.173
Online Access:Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/mt.2015.173
Get full text
Author Notes:Dirk Grimm and Sergei Zolotukhin
Description
Summary:Fifty years ago, a Science paper by Atchison et al. reported a newly discovered virus that would soon become known as adeno-associated virus (AAV) and that would subsequently emerge as one of the most versatile and most auspicious vectors for human gene therapy. A large part of its attraction stems from the ease with which the viral capsid can be engineered for particle retargeting to cell types of choice, evasion from neutralizing antibodies or other desirable properties. Particularly powerful and in the focus of the current review are high-throughput methods aimed at expanding the repertoire of AAV vectors by means of directed molecular evolution, such as random mutagenesis, DNA family shuffling, in silico reconstruction of ancestral capsids, or peptide display. Here, unlike the wealth of prior reviews on this topic, we especially emphasize and critically discuss the practical aspects of the different procedures that affect the ultimate outcome, including diversification protocols, combinatorial library complexity, and selection strategies. Our overall aim is to provide general guidance that should help users at any level, from novice to expert, to safely navigate through the rugged space of directed AAV evolution while avoiding the pitfalls that are associated with these challenging but promising technologies.
Item Description:Available online 14 December 2016
Gesehen am 26.03.2020
Physical Description:Online Resource
ISSN:1525-0024
DOI:10.1038/mt.2015.173