AAV Packaged on Request is Here!

AAV Packaged on Request, an expansion of our viral vectors service, has officially launched! As of today, you can request any of over 3,000 eligible AAV cargo plasmids in the Addgene repository to be packaged in your choice of five different serotypes.

We are so excited for all the ways this much-requested expansion will allow us to better serve our community. If you’ve been following along, you may want to go to our new AAV Packaged on Request webpage to get started with your browsing and requesting. If you’re curious about the service, read on. 

Expanding our viral vector service

Addgene has offered in-stock viral vectors since 2016, with the goal of providing easy access to high quality, commonly used viral vectors. Of course, many scientists also need easy access to high quality, not so commonly used viral vectors. That’s where AAV Packaged on Request comes in. 

AAV Packaged on Request

With Packaged on Request, you can find your plasmids and your viral packaging service in the same place, making it easier to go from selection to viral vector. To start the AAV packaged on request process, simply navigate to your plasmid of interest. If it’s eligible for packaged on request, you’ll see a banner below the ordering table. Click on it, select your desired serotype and volume, and submit your request. 

Figure 1: The AAV Packaged on Request banner.

We currently offer serotypes AAV1, AAV2, AVV5, AAV8, or AAV Retrograde (AAVrg), and volumes of 1 mL, 2.5 mL, or 5 mL. Please note that all orders will be shipped in 100 µL aliquots, so the volume options will appear as 10, 25, or 50 units. 

Once your request is received, we’ll review for technical and legal compliance, and then send you an email with a link to order at your convenience. After an order is placed, we’ll facilitate the necessary MTA, then start production and quality control. 

Our packaged on request AAV service uses the same trusted production and quality control processes as our in-stock service: ddPCR, purity testing, and sterility testing, plus viral genomic sequencing to confirm the identity of the packaged DNA and serotype. That way, you know you’re getting the serotype and cargo you requested at the quality you expect. Similar to our on-demand viral service, we expect titers of 1 × 10¹³ GC/mL for AAV1, AAV5, AAV8, and AAVrg and 7 × 10¹² GC/mL for AAV2. There are no quotes or special processes involved; simply request your plasmid of interest in your desired serotype, place your order when ready, and we’ll take care of the rest. 

We think Packaged on Request AAVs are a big deal, so if you have questions, we have plenty of information available for you to dig into. Check our blog post on viral vector production and quality control, our AAV Packaged on Request webpage, or our announcement blog post to learn more. And our helpful scientific support team is always available at help@addgene.org. 

We hope you find this service useful in your research. Happy vectoring!