FAQs

Sendai virus (SeV) is an RNA virus, so it does not integrate into the genomic DNA. In principle, a foreign gene introduced intracellularly in the form of RNA is quickly translated and expressed because, unlike DNA, RNA does not need to enter the nucleus for forced expression, thereby providing no chance of mutagenesis. This is discussed in the following review paper: Yamamoto, et al., (2009) "Current prospects for mRNA gene delivery." Eur. J. Pharm Biopharm 71, 484-489.

No. The SeV used in our kits is a temperature-sensitive mutant that is active at 33℃ but becomes inactive at 37℃, which is the temperature instructed in the user guides post-differentiation.

SeV is not pathogenic to humans (i.e., humans are not the natural host of the virus) and the infection does not persist in immunocompetent animals. Furthermore, SeV used in our kits does not produce infectious viral particles upon transduction to host hPSCs and is a temperature-sensitive mutant, such that it is active at 33℃ but becomes inactive at 37℃. However, because SeV can be transmitted by aerosol and contact with respiratory secretions and is highly contagious, appropriate care must be taken to prevent potential mucosal exposure to the virus. Our SeV-based kits must be used under Biosafety Level 2 (BL-2) containment with a biological safety cabinet or a laminar flow hood and with appropriate personal protective equipment. In the event that the virus comes into contact with skin or eyes, decontaminate the affected area by flushing with plenty of water and follow the safety manual prepared by your laboratory and approved by your Institutional Biosafety Committee.

No. You don't need any licence or material transfer agreement (MTA) to use our differentiation kits or iPSC-derived cells. However, please be advised that these products are for research use only.