Development of a Viral Vector Library to Target Retinal Cell Types

BrainPost, 23 July 2019

Being able to target genes that are specific to neuronal or glial cell types is critical for the understanding and repairing of brain circuits. Most of the currently available technologies for cell-type targeting requires the use of transgenic animals, which have several limitations. For example, using a transgenic component prevents such therapies being used in humans. These limitations may be overcome using Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) - viruses that are able to deliver genes to particular cell types. AAVs are commonly used in both basic research and gene therapy as they are safe for use in a variety of species—including non-human primates (NHPs) and humans—and are simple, cheap, and easy to make. Read more.