Date

Friday 19 Jun 2026

Time

15:15 - 15:45

Location

BW008

Supervisor

Rolf Boot

Jury

Tom van der Wel

A promising avenue for treatment of hereditary diseases as well as others, including cancer, is gene therapy. Gene therapy delivers genetic material via viral or non-viral vectors to (often) address the root cause of a genetic disease, forgoing the need for continued time intensive treatment. Viral vectors may enable long-term therapeutic transgene expression because of their natural efficiency at human cell transduction. However, these viruses are inherently immunogenic which is a key challenge in viral-based gene therapy applications. This review discusses three common viral vectors, based on retroviruses, adenoviruses and adeno-associated viruses, and aspects that contribute to their varying application in (approved) gene therapy. Additionally, three vector designs are examined that may prove fruitful in increasing gene therapy safety.