The present invention relates to a method for producing helper-free stocks of recombinant adeno-associated
virus (rAAV) which can be used to efficiently and stably transduce foreign genes into host cells or organisms. The method comprises the cotransfection of eukaryotic cells with rAAV and with helper AAV
DNA in the presence of
helper virus (e.g. adenovirus or herpesvirus) such that the helper AAV
DNA is not associated with virion formation. The crux of the invention lies in the inubility of the helper AAV
DNA to recombine with rAAV vector, thereby preventing the generation of wild-type
virus. In a specific embodiment of the invention, the vector comprises a recombinant AAV
genome containing only the terminal regions of the AAV
chromosome bracketing a non-
viral gene, and the helper AAV DNA comprises a recombinant AAV
genome containing that part of the AAV
genome which is not present in the vector, and in which the AAV terminal regions are replaced by adenovirus sequences. In a further embodiment of the invention,
cell lines are created which incorporate helper AAV DNA which can directly produce substantially pure recombinant AAV
virus. The pure stocks of recombinant AAV produced according to the invention provide an AAV viral
expression vector system with increased yield of
recombinant virus, improved efficiency, higher definition, and greater safety than presently used systems.