The Era of Gene Therapy: The Advancement of Lentiviral Vectors and its Pseudotyping

Over 35 years of history, the field of gene therapy has undergone much progress. The initial concept, the replacement of dysfunctional genes with the correct ones, was advanced to the next stages and reached the level of precise genome editing. Dozens of gene therapy products based on viral and non-viral delivery platforms have been approved, marking the dawn of the gene therapy era. These viral vector strategies rely on adenoviruses, adeno-associated viruses, lentivirus-derived tools, and so on. From the middle of the gene therapy transition, despite the challenges and serious negative consequences, the lentiviral vector has emerged as a cornerstone and demonstrated its benefits from basic science to gene therapy. Therefore, we outlined the importance of lentiviral vectors in the gene therapy era by focusing on the role of the lentiviral vectors in clinical usage, derivation, and development of the next-generation platforms, as well as pseudotyping.