Viral Vector Core

The Viral Vector Core (VVC) was founded in 2003 and has produced viral vectors for investigators locally, nationally and internationally in both academia and industry as a fee-for-service. The VVC combines economy of scale with internally optimized procedures that allow it to pass on savings to users. The core allows investigators to focus on their experiment rather than to spend time on trying to optimize the production of viral vectors themselves. In addition, the use of the core assures the use of material at a consistent quality delivering reliable performance. Products offered include viral vectors produced by transient transfection method or in stable producer cells, vector purification, and non-GMP quality testing. The core works closely with the GMP-compliant Vector Production Facility and is able to transfer technology for further development and scale-up and ensure a seamless transition from preclinical studies to early-phase human gene therapy clinical trials.

The Viral Vector Core has been listed as a shared resource of the Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center (OSUCCC)-Cincinnati Children's Cancer Consortium. Vector development is provided in collaboration with Dr. Axel Schambach and Prof. Dr. Christopher Baum, at the Department of Experimental Hematology at the Hannover Medical School in Hannover, Germany.

Services

The Viral Vector Core offers production of research-grade vectors, generation of stable producer lines, and non-GMP quality control testing including vector titer by functional assay FACS or PCR, endotoxin, mycoplasma, and USP sterility testing.

The VVC provides the standard packaging plasmids, the investigator provides the viral vector to be used for the production run. Submit your requests by noon on Monday for transfection on Tuesday. With your request submit a vector plasmid map or provide information about the backbone. Also, provide your vector plasmid at a minimum concentration of 1 µg/µL (OD260/280 = or > 1.8).

Service requests are managed through the online Stratocore ordering system; to get started, contact vvc@cchmc.org.

Research-Grade Vector Products:

• Lentiviral vectors
• Gamma-retroviral vectors
• Adeno-associated viral vectors

Non-GMP Quality Control Testing:

• Infectious titer by flow cytometry or q-PCR
• Puromycin titer
• P24 titer by ELISA
• USP sterility / mycoplasma / endotoxin

Add-On Services

• Vector concentration (ultra-centrifugation with/without sucrose)
• Vector purification (ultra-filtration / TFF / chromatography / density gradient centrifugation)