Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) Vectors in Gene Therapy

Human gene therapy holds great promise for the cure of many genetic diseases. In order to achieve such a cure there are two requirements. First, the affected gene must be cloned, its se­ quence determined and its regulation adequately characterized. Second, a suitable vector for the delivery of a good copy of the affected gene must be available. For a vector to be of use several attributes are highly desirable: these include ability to carry the intact gene (although this may be either the genom