Advances in Foamy Virus Vector Technology and Disease Correction Could Speed the Path to Clinical Application

Foamy viruses (FVs) belong to the Retroviridae family, which includes the g-retrovirus murine leukemia virus (MLV) and lentiviruses (LVs) such as HIV. Whereas vectors derived from HIV and MLV have shown success in the clinic, vectors derived from FVs have yet to be tested clinically. Three articles in this issue of Molecular Therapy clear a path to greater flexibility in the engineering of this promising new class of vectors and bring clinical application of FV vectors a step closer to reality. Nasimuzzaman and Persons1 reveal a long-kept secret of FVs with the identification of an FV receptor that at least partly explains the broad tropism of these viruses and vectors derived from them.