Lentiviral vectors for immunization: an inflammatory field

Abstract

Lentiviruses are retroviruses that are able to transduce both dividing and nondividing cells. Dendritic cells are key players in the innate and adaptive immune responses, and are natural targets for lentiviruses. Lentiviral vectors (LVs) have recently reached the clinical gene therapy arena, prompting their use as clinical vaccines. In recent years, LVs have emerged as a robust and practical experimental platform for gene delivery and rational genetic reprogramming of dendritic cells. Here, we present the status quo of the LV system for protective or therapeutic vaccine development. This vector system has been extensively evaluated for ex vivo and in vivo (immuno)gene delivery. Improvements of the LV design in order to further grant a higher biosafety profile for vaccine development are presented.

Keywords::

• cancer
• chronic infection
• clinical development
• dendritic cell
• immunotherapy
• lentiviral vector

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Germany (DFG: Rebirth Excellence Cluster EXC 62/1 and SFB 738), Deutsche Jose Carreras Stiftung and Deutsche Krebshilfe (to Renata Stripecke). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.