The University of Rochester adheres to the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules with regard to all uses of recombinant DNA at the University. All use of mammalian recombinant virus vectors at UR must be approved by the IBC through the registration process. The IBC requires completion of this form regarding each distinct virus construct or project. Please note that the NIH Guidelines stipulate that Institutional Biosafety Committee approval be obtained prior to use of recombinant mammalian virus vector systems. See NIH Guidelines Section III-D .
Adenoviruses are infectious human viruses, which often cause mild respiratory illness.
Rare cases of severe disease can occur, and its use as a genetic vector therefore requires the use of adequate containment equipment and practices. Particular care should be given to vectors containing genes that make products that may be similar to products made by the deleted adenovirus genes. Some AAV types are common in the general population, and these viruses have the ability to integrate into the host chromosome. Lentiviruses are a subset of retroviruses, with the ability to integrate into host chromosomes, and to infect non-dividing cells. These viruses can cause severe immunologic and neurologic disease in their natural hosts.