What generation are your lentiviral vectors? Why does generation matter?

Imanis lentiviral vectors and transfer plasmids are second generation. Generation matters when considering which packaging system to use to produce lentiviral vector particles from the transfer plasmids. Second generation lentiviral vector systems use fewer plasmids than third generation systems in order to produce lentiviral vector particles. Also, some institutes and countries have different safety regulations for second versus third generation lentiviral vectors.

To increase biosafety, all of our lentiviral vectors are self-inactivating (SIN) vectors, in which the viral enhancer and promoter have been deleted. Transcription inactivation of the LTR in the SIN provirus prevents mobilization by replication competent viruses and enables regulated expression of the genes from the internal promoters without cis-acting effects of the LTR.