Researchers reported discovery of novel AAV variants that substantially improve transduction of human vascular endothelial cells, and separately a point-of-care test was unveiled to detect AAV8-binding antibodies in plasma, serum or whole blood. The two advances address complementary bottlenecks for systemic and vascular-directed gene therapies: vector tropism and patient pre-existing immunity. The AAV variant work, published in Gene Therapy, identified capsids with enhanced uptake in human vascular cells—an outcome that could broaden in vivo applications targeting endothelium. The point-of-care test leverages a dual-path platform to rapidly identify anti-AAV8 antibodies at bedside, enabling faster screening and potentially avoiding trial delays or excluding ineligible patients based on serostatus. Together, improved capsids and rapid serology aim to raise effective patient enrollment and vector performance in clinical trials; both developments were framed as operational solutions to translational hurdles in AAV programs.