Question (2320)
Question
How do I determine which viral vector to use for my experiment?
ABM community
Verified customer
Asked on Jan 16 2026
Answer
Vector selection depends on several practical factors:
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Target cells/tissue: certain systems perform better in specific targets (e.g., AAV commonly used for neurons/CNS, lentivirus often preferred for stable cell line generation)
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Duration of expression:
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Long-term: AAV or lentivirus
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Short-term / transient: adenovirus
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Payload size:
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AAV works best for smaller payloads (≤4.7 kb total genome size)
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larger genes may require alternative strategies (dual AAV, lentivirus, etc.)
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Integration preference: lentivirus integrates; AAV typically remains episomal
If customers are unsure, we recommend sharing target cell type, payload size, and desired expression duration so we can suggest the most appropriate approach.
ABM Scientific Support
Answered on Jan 16 2026