Vector Biolabs has just launched Vector Designer: a free, interactive tool that lets researchers configure a complete, validated AAV or ADV vector — serotype, promoter, reporter, and regulatory elements — in a single session.
Anyone who has worked with viral vectors knows the experiment itself is often not the only challenge. You may know what tissue you want to target, what gene you want to express, or what question you want to answer, but getting from that idea to a workable vector design can take a surprising amount of time. Serotype, promoter, payload size, reporter choice, and regulatory elements all matter, and one decision often impacts the next. Vector Designer is a tool that helps researchers navigate these decisions clearly and efficiently through an integrated, step-by-step workflow. It also incorporates built-in serotype and promoter selection guidance to support decision-making throughout the design process.
What is the Vector Designer?
The Vector Designer (available free at vectorbiolabs.com/vector-designer) is a web-based, interactive design tool that guides you through every component decision including: vector system, serotype, promoter, gene/ORF, reporter, regulatory elements, and protein tags. During the process a live plasmid map is displayed with real-time payload size tracking, so you will know if your construct is within payload limits, and if you have available capacity for additional elements. The result is a fully specified, scientifically validated vector design you can export as a SnapGene file (.gb) or proceed directly to ordering, all within a single session.
The first step is to choose your vector system. Select AAV for gene therapy or research applications, or Adenovirus for transient, high-expression studies. For our examples we will select an AAV pathway, as this has the most decisions a researcher makes.
Step two is serotype selection. The dropdown presents 60 plus naturally occurring and synthetic capsids, with a useful adjacent tooltip beside the dropdown providing guidance on serotype-tissue relationships. The tool also provides access to next-generation capsids that are not commonly available through standard AAV suppliers, including PHP.B and PHP.eB for CNS penetration after intravenous injection, AAV2-7m8 for intravitreal retinal transduction, MyoAAV variants for superior systemic muscle delivery, AAV-retro for retrograde circuit tracing, and more than twenty peptide-display and directed-evolution capsids. If you are unsure which serotype best suits your application, the Vector Biolabs team can recommend the optimal capsid for your application.
Step three is promoter selection. The Vector Designer organizes its promoter library into eleven tissue-specific categories, along with ubiquitous and specialized regulatory options, enabling rapid selection of expression profiles tailored to the experimental goal. Researchers can browse promoters optimized for neurons, astrocytes, muscle, liver, retina, immune cells, stem cells, and other major tissue systems, with more than 150 promoters available in total. Each promoter is annotated to support decisions around tissue specificity, expression strength, developmental targeting, and constitutive versus inducible activity, helping users balance precision, potency, and payload constraints when designing vectors.
Step four is gene or ORF selection. The Vector Designer provides access to a library of more than 100,000 pre-synthesized human, mouse, and rat genes, enabling rapid configuration of vectors for both overexpression and knockdown studies. Researchers can select from widely used payloads including Cre, Cas systems, fluorescent proteins, optogenetic actuators, therapeutic genes, and shRNA-based silencing constructs. You can also submit custom ORF sequences for synthesis and cloning. The platform continuously updates payload size calculations in real time, helping users optimize construct design within vector packaging limits.
Step five is the optional addition of a reporter. You can incorporate fluorescent reporters such as EGFP, mCherry, or mNeonGreen, or bioluminescent reporters such as Firefly Luciferase, to enable visualization, quantification, and validation of transgene expression in vitro and in vivo. These reporters are commonly used in preclinical studies to assess biodistribution, transduction efficiency, cell targeting, and expression kinetics. For translational or clinical vector designs, reporter elements are typically omitted to maximize payload capacity and minimize non-therapeutic sequences.
Step six is adding a regulatory element. Step six is regulatory element configuration. Optional elements such as WPRE can be included to enhance transgene expression, with Full-length, Short, or no WPRE options available to balance expression performance against packaging capacity. You can also select polyadenylation signals such as bGHpA or SV40pA to optimize transcript processing and stability. AAV ITRs are automatically included throughout vector design and do not need to be added separately.
Step seven is the optional addition of a protein tag. Here you can add epitope or purification tags such as FLAG, HA, His, Myc, V5, or GST to facilitate downstream detection, purification, and characterization of transgene expression. These optional elements support applications including western blotting, immunofluorescence, affinity purification, and protein localization studies.
Once all required fields are complete — Vector System, Serotype, Promoter, and Gene/ORF — the “Proceed to Review” button activates. The review screen summarizes your selections, shows the final plasmid details including total size, payload size, and GC content, and offers options to export as a SnapGene file, download the plasmid map, and proceed to ordering the plasmid or viral particles. Reporters, regulatory elements, and protein tags are all optional and can be omitted without blocking the review stage.
Built-In expert guidance
Not sure which serotype, promoter, or reporter to choose? The Vector Designer provides context-sensitive guidance throughout the workflow, and users can request direct input from Vector Biolabs application scientists on specific design elements — including capsids, promoters, payloads, and regulatory components — at any stage of the process, at no additional cost.
Who should use the Vector Designer?
The tool is designed for the full spectrum of researchers and teams working with AAV. Academic researchers new to gene delivery will benefit from a structured, guided workflow with built-in tooltips that help bridge gaps in vector design experience. Experienced vector biologists will use it to rapidly prototype constructs and validate payload budgets before moving to production or core facilities. Principal investigators and lab managers planning grant-funded gene therapy studies can leverage it to clearly define vector components for methods sections, study design, and biosafety documentation.
Ready to design your vector?
Visit vectorbiolabs.com/vector-designer to get started. The tool is free to use and requires no login to begin designing. Your constructs can be saved, exported, and shared with collaborators at any stage. If you need guidance along the way, Vector Biolabs application scientists are available for direct support with a single click. Reach out any time.