AUTHOR=Zhou Kai , Han Jinming , Wang Yafeng , Zhang Yaodong , Zhu Changlian TITLE=Routes of administration for adeno-associated viruses carrying gene therapies for brain diseases JOURNAL=Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience VOLUME=15 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/molecular-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnmol.2022.988914 DOI=10.3389/fnmol.2022.988914 ISSN=1662-5099 ABSTRACT=

Gene therapy is a powerful tool to treat various central nervous system (CNS) diseases ranging from monogenetic diseases to neurodegenerative disorders. Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) have been widely used as the delivery vehicles for CNS gene therapies due to their safety, CNS tropism, and long-term therapeutic effect. However, several factors, including their ability to cross the blood–brain barrier, the efficiency of transduction, their immunotoxicity, loading capacity, the choice of serotype, and peripheral off-target effects should be carefully considered when designing an optimal AAV delivery strategy for a specific disease. In addition, distinct routes of administration may affect the efficiency and safety of AAV-delivered gene therapies. In this review, we summarize different administration routes of gene therapies delivered by AAVs to the brain in mice and rats. Updated knowledge regarding AAV-delivered gene therapies may facilitate the selection from various administration routes for specific disease models in future research.