Adeno-associated viruses (AAV)s are a group of non-disease-causing viruses. The group consists of nine different AAV subgroups, or serotypes, that can enter into different tissue types. AAVs genome is small, and composed of single-stranded DNA. In gene therapy, scientists can modify AAVs or the AAV genome to carry a helpful theraputic gene to patient cells. The modified AAVs carrying the helpful gene are known as recombinant AAV (rAAV) vectors.
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