Application Advances of Lentiviral Vectors: From Gene Therapy to Vaccine Development

Since their development in the 1990s, the applications of lentiviral vectors have rapidly extended to the fields of gene and cancer therapy, as well as vaccine development, owing to their unique advantages of efficiently transducing both dividing and nondividing cells and achieving stable and long-term expression of genes. However, with their clinical application, potential safety issues have emerged, such as the possibility of insertional oncogenesis, immune reactions, and tumorigenesis, which have attracted widespread attention from the academic and clinical communities. In this review, we thoroughly explore the strategies used to optimize lentiviral vectors and assess their potential benefits and risks in different fields. We summarize the latest research on the use of lentiviral vectors, covering their development, classification, and applications in cancer therapy, treatment of genetic diseases, and vaccine development, as well as discussing important safety considerations. This review acts as an informative reference for academics and clinicians, providing insights into the potential future research directions and possible clinical applications of lentiviral vectors. We hope that this review will promote the continuous improvement of lentiviral vector technology and realize its full therapeutic potential in the treatment and prevention of diseases.