Research confirms superiority of SIRION Biotech’s AAV vectors and Lentivirus strategies

Martinsried, Germany: – Two new pieces of research have confirmed the world-leading qualities of Adeno-associated viruses (AAV) and lentivirus vectors from viral technology specialist SIRION Biotech.The research suggests that the high purity of SIRION’s AAV vectors enhances the success rate of in-vivo CNS experiments.

A recent publication by Acta Neuropathologica Communications compares AAV standards from two alternative sources in the USA and Europe.

Longer neuron survival

The paper, Neuron-to-neuron α-synuclein propagation in vivo is independent of neuronal injury, by a team of researchers headed by Ayse Ulusoy and Ruth E Musgrove; found that improved AAV purity standards clearly increased the survival of neurons during in vivo experiments. Greater cell survival in turn had a significant effect on the results of the experiment, underlining the necessity to choose the best possible AAV vectors available when planning your project.

Versatile vector strategy

At the same time, Sirion researchers have published results of research describing how one of the laboratory’s stand-out technologies, the RNAiONE validation platform, can be used as the basis for a “versatile vector strategy” that delivers higher predictability with fewer side effects.

RNAiONE is an array of plasmid-based expression vectors that each drives tandem expression of the gene of interest (GOI) with one small hairpin RNA (shRNA) from a set of computed candidate sequences to identify the best-possible shRNA sequence in the array.

The system is gauged for both constitutive or inducible shRNA expression with full translatability of the screening results to viral vectors and cell models.

VariCHECK inducible expression

In their paper; Versatile Viral Vector Strategies for Post-screening Target Validation and RNAi ON-Target Control, Christel et al. demonstrated a reversible lentivirus system combining shRNA and overexpression of a GOI to switch between genes in an inducible manner . In the PoC experiment, the team used the SIRION’s VariCHECK™ inducible expression switch to rescue a gene knockdown for ON-target phenotype verification.

This system adds critical information to hot candidates from RNAi screens while avoiding potential side effects from other, irreversible genomic manipulation methods such as TALEN or CRISPR/Cas.

The complete system enhances predictability by maximizing silencing efficiencies through focused shRNA validation, creating greater homogeneity of the RNAi cell pools by applying sophisticated viral vector technologies and exploiting the advantages of inducible expression systems.

“This approach will add credibility to top-hit screening candidates and protect researchers from costly misinterpretations early in the preclinical drug development process,” say the SIRION researchers.

About SIRION Biotech

SIRION BIOTECH is Europe’s leading commercial supplier of viral vectors used for genetic research, clinical target validation, gene therapy and vaccination studies.

In business since 2007, SIRION’s mission has been to change the paradigm for viral vector supplies. It has the ability to develop and supply all common viral vector types (adenovirus, lentivirus and AAV) available within a matter of weeks at the concentration titers and in the quantities required for preclinical human and animal testing.
The company also offers a full range of virus related services, ranging from particle production to virus driven cell modeling.

SIRION offerings include the transformational RNAiONE™ knockdown validation platform.

SIRION’s core expertise lies in custom virus generation for genetic engineering of mammalian cell systems. With its comprehensive viral vector portfolio, SIRION offers a suitable option for almost any in vitro and in vivo application. SIRION can supply all three of the most commonly used virus systems for gene manipulation: recombinant adenovirus particles (AV), lentiviruses (LV) and adeno-associated viruses (AAV).