A method of generating a recombinant AAV viral particle, wherein the recombinant viral particle comprises an AAV capsid protein with an engineered AAV9 cell binding domain, said cell binding domain comprising amino acids Y446, N470, A472, V473, D271, N272 and W503 which forms a galactose binding domain, wherein the amino acid numbering is based on the positions of SEQ ID NO:
- 1, wherein one or more of these amino acids has substituted by another amino acid which is native to the AAV capsid protein into which the AAV9 cell binding domain has been engineered, wherein the method comprises culturing a host cell which contains a nucleic acid sequence encoding the AAV capsid protein;
- a functional rep gene;
- a minigene comprising a 5′ AAV inverted terminal repeat (ITR), a transgene, regulatory sequences which drives expression of the transgene, and a 3' ITR;
- and sufficient helper functions to permit packaging of the minigene into the AAV capsid.