Table 1.
Viral Vector Comparison for Gene Therapy
| Feature | Baculovirus | Adeno-Associated Virus | Lentivirus | Retrovirus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 80–180 kb | 8.5 kb | 8 kb | 7–11 kb |
| DNA or RNA | dsDNA | ssDNA | ssRNA | ssRNA |
| Cloning capacity | 300 kb | 5 kb | 9 kb | 8 kb |
| Max viral titer | 2x108 | 1x1011 | 1x109 | 1x109 |
| Tropism | Dividing and non-dividing cells | Dividing and non-dividing cells | Dividing and non-dividing cells | Dividing cells |
| Safety | Non-toxic | Inflammatory response and toxicity | Insertional mutagenesis | Insertional mutagenesis |
| Ease of scale-up | High | Low | Low | Low |
| Immunogenicity | Low | Low | Low | Low |
| Integration | Non-integrating | Non-integrating | Integrating | Integrating |
| Expression | Transient | Stable: site-specific integration | Transient or stable | Stable |