Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania are launching a new program to create adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors created for gene-editing, these AAVs are used by gene therapies to target the host cells without damaging them. The initial trial, funded by Sean Parker's cancer immunotherapy institute, will be lead by the University of Pennsylvania's Dr. Edward Stadtmauer, a specialist in hematologic malignancies. At the moment, experts are working with AAVs developed a decade ago, but the aim is to "significantly improve their performance" and come up with "therapeutic applications of genome editing". The researchers have already shown that they can use AAV vector technology in mice to treat brain cancer using CRISPR-Cas9.
Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania are launching a new program to create adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors created for gene-editing, these AAVs are used by gene therapies to target the host cells without damaging them. At the moment, experts are working with AAVs developed a decade ago, but the aim is to "significantly improve their performance" and come up with "therapeutic applications of genome editing". The researchers have already shown that they can use AAV vector technology in mice to treat brain cancer using CRISPR-Cas9.