Investigating pseudotyped lentiviral vector for gene delivery to the lung.

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Gene therapy has the potential to treat the underlying cause of many inherited or acquired diseases. Lentiviral vectors offer a way of introducing a gene (transgene) into cells such that it is integrated into the host cell genome. This integration provides the possibility of long term expression as lentiviruses are capable of transducing both dividing and non-dividing cells. In this project the aim is to assess ability of two different sets of pseudotypes to transduce the cells of the lung (F/HN from the Sendai virus and HA/NA from the Influenza virus). The project will compare the ability of these sets of molecules, when pseudotyped onto the same lentiviral vector, to transduce various cell types within the lung and compare their ability to transduce cells that express the transgene for a long period of time. Depending on initial results the vector components may be modified in order to optimise gene transfer to the lungs for a specific lung disease decided upon based on cell types being successfully transduced. A therapeutic expressing vector may then be generated to carry forward for evaluation prior to scale up and clinical trials.