The fast and the curious – optimized development of high performing AAV vectors

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) forms the basis of one of the most promising and versatile vector systems for therapeutic human gene transfer. The genetic simplicity and low immunogenicity, paired with high plasticity and amenability to engineer and repurpose the viral capsid and genome, make it a popular choice for gene therapy.

In this webinar, our distinguished guests, Dr. Dirk Grimm and Dr. David Schaffer will

Discuss the concept of using directed evolution to engineer highly optimized variants of AAV for a broad range of cell and tissue targets.

Introduce key technologies for targeted modification and directed evolution of critical AAV components

Address vector delivery barriers using directed evolution approaches

Attendees will discover novel approaches to:

• Configure viral vectors to mitigate toxicity from dosage and immunogenicity
• Prevent off-target viral delivery in healthy tissues
• Leverage directed evolution strategies based on two fundamental steps of natural evolution: creation of a gene pool and selection of the fittest serotype
• Select, create, and develop a top performing AAV viral vector to enable gene therapy

Dirk Grimm

Professor for Viral Vector Technologies, Medical Faculty, University of Heidelberg

Dirk Grimm, PhD is Full Professor for Viral Vector Technologies at Heidelberg University Hospital. He was trained as a biologist at the Universities of Kaiserslautern and Heidelberg (Germany) and pursued a PhD in Biology with a focus on Adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector technology. His laboratory is interested in engineering novel capsid and genome variants of AAV that are specifically optimized for tissue-specific expression of elements for therapeutic gene regulation and genome editing. Dr. Grimm is a co-author on over 70 peer-reviewed publications including in Nature, Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Blood and other high-impact journals.

David Schaffer

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Bioengineering, Molecular and Cell Biology, and the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute Director