Penn Vector Core: About Us
Providing Vector Tools for gene therapy and basic research.
The Penn Vector Core is a full service viral vector core facility located on the University of Pennsylvania campus. With over a decade of experience in the production of viral-based vectors, the Core has become an important technological resource for investigators, both within and external to Penn, interested in the use of viral based vectors for gene transfer. The main objective of the Core is to provide investigators access to state-of-the-art vector technology for preclinical studies and other basic research applications. Such studies, utilizing carefully designed viral vectors, can provide information critical to the understanding of gene function and development of therapeutic vectors.
The range of services provided by the Penn Vector Core includes:
- Services to non-profit institutions and academic investigators worldwide
- Provision of AAV, adenoviral and lentiviral based vectors
- Production of custom vectors designed according to the needs of the investigator
- Provision of ready-made reporter gene vectors from our inventory
- Consultation and advice in the design of custom vectors and in vector serotype/pseudotype selection
- Vector serotype/pseudotype kits containing a panel of selected vectors for pilot studies or in vivo screening
- Design, cloning and production of plasmid DNA for the production of custom vectors
- Provision of cloning vectors for insertion of genes of interest prior to vector production
- Robust quality control including full sequence analysis of source materials
- A wide variety of AAV serotypes including AAV1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and rh10 more
The Penn Vector Core specializes in the provision of novel AAV serotype vectors and has the greatest experience in producing novel serotype vectors developed at Penn. AAV1, 7, 8, 9 and rh10 were originally isolated at Penn in the laboratory of Dr. James M. Wilson and first made available to investigators through the Penn Vector Core. Due to its close proximity to the Wilson laboratory, the Penn Vector Core is able to rapidly assimilate new vector technologies and make them available to its users. The Core offers a variety of novel serotype AAV vectors and additional vectors currently under development will be distributed through the Penn Vector. All of the vectors generated by the Penn Vector Core are distributed under material transfer agreement (MTA) to academic, government and non-profit institutions. Corporate users may access novel AAV vector technologies through the Penn co-founded company, ReGenX.
