Glycoviruses: chemical glycosylation retargets adenoviral gene transfer

A sugar-specific transfection mechanism is introduced by the glycosylation of adenoviruses (AVs, see picture), and manipulation of the glycosylation pattern allows the selective transfection of human macrophages in favor of the usual target. This dramatic retargeting holds promise for the fine-tuning of adenoviruses for applications such as gene therapy. © 2005 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim.