Bonn Technology Campus: Virus Core Facility
1 Institute of Neuropathology, Section for Translational Epilepsy Research, Medical Faculty, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
2 Department of Epileptology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
Adeno-associated viruses (AAV) are useful tools to study brain function as they efficiently deliver transgenes to specific target cells. AAVs are single-stranded DNA viruses that can infect a wide variety of dividing and quiescent cells and cell types. Because of these properties, they are used as versatile tools for scientific experiments in the laboratory and for gene transfer in humans. With a packaging capacity of about 4.7 kb, AAVs can not only deliver proteins (e.g. fluorescent proteins, sensors …) but also constructs for editing the genome (e.g. CRISPR-Cas) or modifying gene expression (e.g. RNA interference). AAVs trigger only minor immune reactions, therefore they are well-suited for in vivo experiments. The Virus Core Facility of the Medical Faculty of the University of Bonn offers various services to support scientists using AAVs in their research. For researchers who want to design their own plasmids, we offer cloning of AAV expression plasmids by custom designing the plasmid including promoter, gene of interest, and regulatory elements. These expression plasmids are then packaged into AAVs of different serotypes that provide target specificity for organs or cell types. The produced AAVs can be used to map circuits, modify gene expression and cell function, or visualize activity in both physiological and disease states.