Viral vectors were originally developed to deliver genes into host cells for therapeutic potential. However, viral vector use in neuroscience research has increased because they enhance interpretation of the anatomy and physiology of brain circuits compared with conventional tract tracing or electrical stimulation techniques. Viral vectors enable neuronal or glial subpopulations to be labeled o...

Objective(s): Although viral vectors are considered efficient gene transfer agents, their board application has been limited by toxicity, immunogenicity, mutagenicity and small gene carrying capacity. Non-viral vectors are safe but they suffer from low transfection efficiency. In the present study, polyallylamine (PAA) in two molecular weights (15 and 65 kDa) was modified by alkane derivatives ...

The Bacillus Calmette - Guerin (BCG) vaccine provides a critical but limited defense against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb). More than 60 years after the widespread introduction of BCG, there is an urgent need for a better vaccine. A large body of pre-clinical research continues to support ongoing clinical trials to assess whether viral vectors expressing M.tb antigens that are shared by BCG...

The efficient delivery of therapeutic genes and appropriate gene expression are the crucial issues for clinically relevant gene therapy. Viruses are naturally evolved vehicles which efficiently transfer their genes into host cells. This ability made them desirable for engineering virus vector systems for the delivery of therapeutic genes. The viral vectors recently in laboratory and clinical us...

In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in developing gene therapy approaches for the treatment of cancer. The two events that have permitted the formulation of concept of cancer gene therapy are the new understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying oncogenesis, and the development of the DNA-delivery vehicles or vectors. Many approaches to cancer gene therapy have been propos...

Theoretically, cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene replacement during the neonatal period can decrease morbidity and mortality from cystic fibrosis (CF). In vivo gene transfers have been accomplished in CF patients. Choice of vector, mode of delivery to airways, translocation of genetic information, and sufficient expression level of the normalized CFTR gene are issu...

Adenovirus (Ad) vectors, in particular those of the serotype 5, are highly attractive for a wide range of gene therapy, vaccine and virotherapy applications (as discussed in further detail in this issue). Wild type Ad5 virus can replicate in numerous tissue types but to use Ad vectors for therapeutic purposes the viral genome requires modification. In particular, if the viral genome is modified...

ticks are vectors of some important arthropod-borne diseases in both fields of veterinary and medicine, such as lyme, tularemia, rocky mountain spotted fever, and some types of encephalitis as well as crimean congo hemorrhagic fever (cchf). iran is known as one of the main foci of cchf in west of asia. this study was conducted in darrehshahr county because of the development of animal husbandry...