Grant Number: R24OD030215 

Research Emphasis/Objectives

The main goal of this R24 project is to develop monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that can be used in immunological assays for the identification and quantification of 10 biomarkers of inflammation and metabolism in the New World monkey (NWM) species marmoset (MAR, Callithrix jacchus), owl monkey (OLM, Aotus sp.), and squirrel monkey (SQM, Saimiri sp.).

Current Research

The general approach is to produce the recombinant MAR versions of the adiponectin, CD69, C-reactive protein (CRP), IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IP-10 (CXCL10), granzyme B, and leptin biomarkers; immunize mice with these purified proteins; identify reactive mAbs and optimal antibody pairs; test antibodies for reactivity with OLM and SQM molecules; and develop immunoassays. 

Services Provided

Samples of mAbs developed within the project, protocols, and reactivity tables will be made available for U.S. researchers. Currently, validated capture and detection antibodies have been identified for IL-10. Monoclonal antibodies for the other nine biomarkers have been produced, and validation is ongoing.

Contact Information

Department of Biology
School of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics
Trinity University
One Trinity Place
San Antonio, TX 782212
www.trinity.edu/sites/nwmimmunoreagents

Principal Investigator/Center Director

Luis D. Giavedoni, Ph.D.
Phone: 210-999-7245
lgiavedo@trinity.edu

Additional Contact

Jessica Callery, Resource Manager
Phone: 210-999-7243
jcalllery@trinity.edu

Grant Number: U42OD011158

Objectives

The Human Tissue and Organ Research Resource (HTORR) provides high-quality human biospecimens to investigators to facilitate scientific advances in biomedical research across multiple disciplines. HTORR collaborates with a nationwide network of organ procurement organizations, tissue banks, eye banks, and surgical medical centers to recover and distribute a wide variety of human biospecimens from post-surgery and post-mortem donors. The National Disease Research Interchange (NDRI), a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization with a mission to advance biomedical research through the distribution of human organs, tissues, and cells to biomedical researchers, has managed HTORR for more than 30 years.

Services Provided

The services provided by HTORR are unique compared to most other human tissue resources and biobanks. HTORR predominately utilizes a prospective procurement model with project-specific recovery and preservation protocols to collect human biospecimens from a diverse pool of normal and diseased donors. The HTORR model provides the scientific expertise and technical support to tailor tissue collection procedures to the specific requirements defined by each investigator’s experimental design. This provides investigators with standardized collection procedures that yield more rigorous and reproducible results.

Interested investigators complete a simple application process and, once approved, are served when tissues matching their requests become available. HTORR can also provide a Letter of Support (LOS) and budgetary information for NIH grant applications. For information about how to set up a prospective tissue recovery or to request a LOS, please email the NDRI Scientific Services Department at research@ndriresource.org.

Biospecimens provided by HTORR are utilized in more than 150 peer-review published scientific studies annually. To learn more about NDRI’s services and to browse these publications, please refer to NDRI’s website.

Benefits of HTORR

• Rigor and reproducibility: Project-specific sample acquisition to support more consistent experimental accuracy and data analysis
• Sample diversity: Biospecimens from all body systems with customizable processing and preservation methods (fresh, frozen, and fixed)
• Rapid distribution: The potential for sample recovery and delivery to investigators within 24 hours
• Continuous customer service: 24/7 response to service needs and shipment information
• Trusted partner: More than 30 years of experience as an NIH-supported research resource providing human organs and tissues for research

Principal Investigator

Thomas Bell, M.S., Ph.D
1601 Cherry Street, Suite 1700
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Phone: 215-557-7361 x289
tbell@ndriresource.org

Grant Number: P40OD010960

Research Emphasis/Objectives

The National Natural Toxins Research Center (NNTRC), a component of Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK), is a unique animal and biological material resource center organized to support basic and translational research on venomous snakes and their venoms. Since the initiation of this P40 grant in 2003, the NNTRC has served as the only federally funded viper resource center in the United States, playing a critical role as a provider of high-quality single-source venoms and snake-related research materials to national and international biomedical and biological research programs. The goal of the NNTRC is to provide native venom and purified venom components, recombinant venom proteins, and specialized venom research services of the highest quality to support snake venom–related research in the United States and abroad.

To achieve its goal, the NNTRC will address the following three Specific Aims:

• Aim #1: To operate the NNTRC as a resource center that provides high-quality venom and products that support biological and biomedical research for national and international research programs (70%).
• Aim #2: To develop and expand the collection of snakes, specialized services, and outreach programs to support growth of venom-related research in the United States (20%).
• Aim #3: To conduct a state-of-the-art applied research program to support the development of new venom-related research services.
  • Sub-Aim #1: To apply new methods and approaches to the production of recombinant toxins for rare and low-abundance components of crotalid venom.
  • Sub-Aim #2: To develop novel cell-based assays that can be used for the conventional and high-throughput testing of anti-venoms and toxin inhibitory molecules.

Services Provided

Contact Information

National Natural Toxins Research Center
975 W. Avenue B, MSC 224
A.L. Kleberg Hall, Room 100
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Kingsville, TX 78363
tamuk.edu/artsci/departments/nntrc/index.html

Co-Principal Investigator

Elda E. Sánchez, Ph.D.
Phone: 361-593-3796
elda.sanchez@tamuk.edu

Other/Resource Contacts

Peter J.A. Davies, M.D., Ph.D.
Phone: 713-677-7473
pdavies@tamu.edu

Other/Resource Contacts

Co-Investigator: Jacob A. Galan, Ph.D.
Phone: 361-593-3794
jacob.galan@tamuk.edu

Grant Number: P40OD010949

Research Emphasis/Objectives

The Drosophila Genomics Resource Center (DGRC) supports an international community of scientists utilizing Drosophila melanogaster for biomedical research. The mission of the DGRC is to (1) provide the research community broad access to genomics resources by acquiring, archiving, curating, and distributing genomics resources, including, clones, vectors, and cell lines; (2) facilitate the effective use of the genomics resources by providing guidelines and support; and (3) improve the genomics resources and protocols available to the research community. By balancing the process of archiving and curating material, efficient distribution, and economical access, the effort of the DGRC increases both the scientific rigor and reproducibility of the collective work of the research community and protects against the loss of vital materials. 

Services Provided

• Collecting and distributing cDNA clones and vectors
• Collecting and distributing Drosophila cell lines
• Developing and improving cell line/genomics technologies for use in Drosophila
• Assisting the research community in the use of these resources

Contact Information

Drosophila Genomics Resource Center (DGRC)
1001 E. Third St.
Bloomington, IN 47405
dgrc.bio.indiana.edu/Home

Principal Investigators

Andrew C. Zelhof, Ph.D.
Phone: 812-855-0294
azelhof@indiana.edu

Co-Principal Investigators

Kris Klueg, Ph.D.
Phone: 812-855-5510
dgrc@indiana.edu

Arthur Luhur, Ph.D.
Phone: 812-855-5510
dgrc@indiana.edu

Daniel Mariyappa
Phone: 812-855-5510
dgrc@indiana.edu

Grant Number: P40OD010996

Research Emphasis/Objectives

The use of viruses to define the synaptic organization of neuronal circuitry has experienced an explosive growth over the past decade. This experimental approach is the most widely used method to provide a polysynaptic perspective on the functional architecture of the nervous system. Consequently, it has proven to be increasingly popular among neuroscientists whose goal is to define ensemble organization of populations of neurons devoted to specific functions. The mission of this center is to provide a state-of-the-art national resource center that (1) serves as a technical and intellectual resource for those interested in using viral transneuronal tracing, (2) develops improved transneuronal tracing technologies and makes them available to investigators throughout the United States via access to center resources and training, (3) serves as a repository for well-characterized reagents essential to the application of the method, and (4) stimulates collaborative multidisciplinary studies of mechanisms underlying viral neuroinvasiveness and pathogenesis.

Current Research

Research at the center is focused within two Virus Cores (Alpha Herpesvirus and Rabies Virus Cores) and a Technology and Resource Core. Reagents produced within the Virus Cores are characterized and developed for research applications in the Technology and Resource Core. Current research focuses on (1) developing tracing applications with conditional replication of alpha herpesviruses, (2) characterizing the molecular basis of direction selective transport of herpesviruses, (3) constructing and characterizing new recombinant viruses that can be used in complex tracing paradigms and for functional analysis of identified neurons, and (4) defining the distribution of receptors that influence neuroinvasiveness of alpha herpesviruses in the central nervous system.

Services Provided

The center provides reagents and training for those interested in application of the viral transneuronal tracing method.

Contact Information

University of Pittsburgh
Departments of Neurobiology and Neuroscience
4074 Biomedical Science Tower 3
3501 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
https://www.braininstitute.pitt.edu/center-neuroanatomy-neurotropic-vir…

Principal Investigators

Peter L. Strick, Ph.D.
Phone: 412-383-9961
Fax: 412-383-9061
strickp@pitt.edu

J. Patrick Card, Ph.D.
Phone: 412-624-6995
Fax: 412-624-9198
card@pitt.edu

Additional Contact

Amanda Fetsick
Phone: 412-383-9878
Fax: 412-383-9061
acaito@pitt.edu

Grant Number: P40OD028116

Research Emphasis/Objectives

The objective of the NIH Nonhuman Primate Reagent Resource is to facilitate the use of nonhuman primate (NHP) models of disease by providing primate-specific antibody reagents for targeting cell subsets, cell receptors, soluble mediators, and immunoglobulins of the most common primate species used in research. This is accomplished by developing new reagents specific for NHP proteins or immunoglobulins and by optimizing existing reagents intended for in vitro diagnostics or for in vivo use in the NHP species.

Current Research

Current research explores methods for generating and engineering recombinant antibodies against NHP targets and expressing these antibodies at large scale. The NIH Nonhuman Primate Reagent Resource also studies the comparative structure and function of immunoglobulins between various primate species.

Services Provided

The resource provides antibodies for in vivo administration and for in vitro diagnostics in NHPs. A database of commercial reagents that cross-react with 12 different NHP species is maintained on the website. The resource also provides NHP recombinant proteins, immunoglobulin reference reagents, and cell lines.

Contact Information

MassBiologics
University of Massachusetts Medical School
460 Walk Hill Street
Boston, MA 02126
nhpreagents.org

Principal Investigator

Diogo Magnani, Ph.D.
Phone: 762-233-7747
diogomagnani@gmail.com