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Welcome to the SBMRI Lentiviral Core:

Viral Vectors

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Our goal is to assist Sanford Burnham Medical Research Institute Scientists, as well as laboratories on a world-wide basis, with the production of high-quality, high-titer lentiviral and retroviral (and adenoviral) vectors at the lowest possible cost. We operate as a non-profit core facility so the price of the virus particles and any associated testing are provided to you at no cost, meaning we do not charge anything above and beyond what it costs us to produce the particles or complete a service request. The SBMRI viral vector core offers a variety of services including ready-to-transduce lentiviral (and adenoviral) particles, and custom lentiviral and retroviral packaging and titrations. Our brand new exciting “the works” service includes lentiviral vector construction for your constitutive/inducible cDNA/shRNA expression, viral packaging, and titration (ready-to-transduce control particles provided). In the near future, custom adenoviral productions including amplification, purification, and titration will be available. The Core is fully equipped with all the necessary equipments for production of consistent quality viral vectors including state-of-the art cell culture hoods and incubators, ultracentrifuges, microscopes and dedicated -80C freezer for storage of vectors.  Producer cell lines 293T and 293A cells are routinely tested for the presence of mycoplasma using Lonza detection kit and discontinued at passage 20.  At the SBMRI viral vector core, we understand that many of the investigators utilizing our vectors are not experts in viral vector field.  Therefore we offer free consultation to our Core users including how to use the vectors, troubleshoot problems and answer any questions you may have.
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The Sanford Burnham Medical Research Institute is in a partnership program with Sigma-Aldrich and Open Biosystems. Both companies provide affordable shRNA constructs. The Core also currently collaborates with Allele Biotechnology, specific in ready-to-use lentivirus including iPSC 4-in-1 reprogramming virus. In the future, we will establish collaborations with the SBMRI stem cell core facility to provide custom viral transduction (in vitro) service, the SBMRI functional genomics core facility to provide custom viral RNAi (shRNA) design and screening service, and the animal core facility to provide custom viral transduction (in vivo) service.
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Lentiviral production services

• Ready-to-transduce lentiviral preps.
• Custom lentiviral production and titration
• The works: Custom constitutive cDNA lentiviral vector (including constitutive cDNA expression vector construction, packaging, and titration as well as ready-to-transduce control fluorescent lentivirus)
• The works: Custom inducible cDNA lentiviral vector (including inducible cDNA expression vector construction, packaging, and titration as well as ready-to-transduce control fluorescent lentivirus)
• The works: Custom constitutive shRNA lentiviral vector (including constitutive shRNA expression vector construction, packaging, and titration as well as ready-to-transduce control shRNA lentivirus)
• We are currently establishing the new service- The works: Custom inducible shRNA lentiviral vector.

Retroviral production services

• Custom retroviral packaging and titration: Custom preparations of retroviruses where customers provide the transfer vector for viral production. Quantitative titrations are offered for virus containing fluorescence markers.
• We are currently working on new retroviral and adenoviral services. In the future, we will provide ready-to-use retroviral and adenoviral preps. as well as custom adenoviral production and titration service.

Other services

• Custom viral particles concentration and purification (customers provide viral supernatant)
• Large scale DNA plasmid preparations
• Ready-to-use polybrene (1 mg/mL, 100µL per aliquot, 5 aliquots)

Consultation

• For the core user, consultation is free

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Services: a list of available services.

Prices: a list of prices (internal and external) for available services.

Requisition Guidelines: what you need to do to obtain lentivirus - read carefully!

Requisition Forms: Ready-to-transduce / Lentivirus / Retrovirus | Biosafety Form | MTA Form : what you need to fill out when ordering lentivirus.

Useful Literature: background information on lentiviral technology.

Pictures: for you to look at and admire.

Protocols: protocols that we follow to produce high-titer lentiviral soups.

Contact Information: how to contact the BIMR Viral Vectors manager.

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