The present invention provides HIV-derived lentivectors which are safe, highlyefficient, and very potent for expressing transgenes for human gene therapy,especially, in human hematopoietic progenitor cells as well as in all otherblood cell derivatives. The lentiviral vectors comprise promoters active topromote expression specific to cell types or tissues. Further, promoters areproviding that are amenable to control by activators, enhancers, orrepressors. These vectors are in a self-inactivating configuration forbiosaftey. Additional promoters are also described. The vectors can alsocomprise additional transcription enhancing elements such as the wood chuckhepatitis virus post-transcriptional regulatory element, without any decreasein the specificity or control exerted by the promoters. These vectorstherefore provide useful tools for genetic treatments such as inherited andacquired lympho-hematological disorders, gene-therapies for cancers especiallythe hematological cancers, as well as for the study of hematopoiesis vialentivector-mediated modification of human HSCs.
