Lentiviral vectors are gene therapy vectors developed based on HIV-1 (human immunodeficiency virus type 1). They belong to the Retroviridae family and are RNA viruses. Unlike conventional retroviral vectors, lentiviral vectors can infect both dividing and non-dividing cells. These vectors can efficiently integrate exogenous genes into the host chromosomes, thereby achieving long-term expression. Currently, lentiviruses are also widely used in RNAi research. Since the inhibitory effect of synthetically produced siRNA on gene expression is usually transient, its application is significantly limited. The strategy of designing shRNA based on lentiviral vectors, allowing intracellular transcription of siRNA after transfer, not only expands the range of cell types that can be effectively transfected but also enables long-term stable suppression of target gene expression within cells. In terms of infectivity, lentiviral vectors can efficiently infect various types of cells, including neurons, hepatocytes, cardiomyocytes, tumor cells, endothelial cells, and stem cells, achieving effective gene therapy results and offering broad application prospects.
Applications of Lentivirus
Gene therapy
Already used in CAR-T therapy for humans.
Transgenic animals
Transfer the target gene or RNAi gene into animal tissues to achieve long-term expression.
Gene editing
Lentiviral vector is one of the main delivery systems for the CRISPR/Cas9 system.
Stably transfected cell lines
Transfer target genes or RNA genes into hard-to-transfect cells, such as neurons and stem cells.
Construct cell lines that stably express target proteins or RNAi.
Drug research
Construct cell lines expressing receptor proteins to study drug effects.
