ABSTRACT
Recombinant adeno-associated virus vectors have been shown to safely transduce a number of tissues in preclinical animal studies. The level of gene transfer is sufficient to successfully treat a large number of medical disorders. Moreover, the long-term persistence of the vector sequences in animals makes it likely that this vector will be useful for genetic diseases requiring life-long therapy. This review outlines the biological principles of the vector, as well as its advantages and current limitations as it relates to use in hepatic gene therapy.
KEY WORDS
adeno-associated virus - gene therapy - hemophilia - genetic diseases
