Vector Core Facility (R. Judge Samulski, Ph.D., Faculty Director; Gabriele Kroner-Lox, Ph.D., Facility Director) Started with institutional funds, the Vector Core was initiated in 1993 as part of the new UNC Gene Therapy Center with the intent of establishing a state-of-the-art facility capable of generating novel viral vectors for efficient gene delivery. The Core's specific purposes are to: maintain and distributed a library of recombinant adenovirus (rAd), recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors and retroviral vectors; generate new rAd, rAAV and retroviral vectors from plasmid substrates containing genes cloned by individual investigators; produce common vector stocks from viral plaques (rAd), recombinant plasmids (rAAV) or established producer cell lines (retroviruses); provide consultation on the use, design, and production of different gene delivery vectors; and supply investigators with high quality vector preparations. To date, the Vector Core has not received any Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) funding, although peer-reviewed LCCC members currently represent over 40% of the Vector Core's users. CCSG funding of $72, 308 (17% of total budget) will primarily support the Facility Director (50%), who is critical to making the vectors used in clinical trials, and the Core's skilled Research Technician (75%). This support will ensure that prices remain low for recombinant adenoviral vectors (one-third the cost of commercial sources) and that the facility continues to provide viral vector reagents (AAV, Lentiviral, targeting vectors) for cancer-specific research that are otherwise unavailable commercially.
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