Which viral vector should I use?

Common viral vectors used in biomedical research include lentivirus, Moloney murine leukemia virus (MMLV), adenovirus, and adeno-associated virus (AAV), each with its advantages and disadvantages. Many factors affect the decision on what type of viral vector to use in your experiment. The key considerations include: Does the virus have the tropism for the target cells (namely, can it efficiently infect target cells)? Are the cells dividing or non-dividing? Do you want transient transduction or stable integration into the host genome? What transduction efficiency is needed? Do you need to use a customized promoter to drive the gene of interest? Will your vector be used in cell culture or in vivo? Will an immune response to the virus affect your experiment? The table below lists these considerations when choosing commonly used viruses:

	Lentivirus	MMLV	Adenovirus	AAV
Tropism	Broad	Broad	Ineffective for some cells	Depending on viral serotype
Can infect non-dividing cells?	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Stable integration or transient	Stable integration	Stable integration	Transient, episomal	Transient, episomal
Maximum titer	High	Moderate	Very High	High
Promoter customization	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Primary use	Cell culture and in vivo	Cell culture and in vivo	In vivo	In vivo
Immune response in vivo	Low	Low	High	Very low