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

Macaque monkeys are premier research models for HIV/AIDS. For example, macaques infected with the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)—the nonhuman primate (NHP) analogue of HIV—are used to address basic research questions about viral infection routes, acute phases of infection, and latent viral reservoirs because these cannot be explored in humans. Likewise, SIV-infected macaques serve as models for developing HIV vaccines, infection prevention devices, new therapeutics, microbicides, and cure strategies prior to first-in-human trials. The presence of specific viral pathogens in experimental animals can confound the results of HIV/AIDS-related investigations or pose a health risk to staff. Therefore, a consortium of colonies was developed to provide specific-pathogen-free (SPF) macaques for AIDS research that are negative for SIV, type D simian retrovirus, simian T-cell lymphotropic virus, and herpes B virus. Additionally, SPF macaques are characterized for major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I alleles, which are known to be associated with SIV viral load and rate of disease progression. ORIP supports SPF rhesus macaque colonies at the California, Oregon, Southwest, Tulane, and Emory National Primate Research Centers (NPRCs), as well as at the Caribbean Primate Research Center in Puerto Rico. ORIP also supports SPF pigtail macaque colonies at the Washington NPRC and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Grant Number: P40OD012217

Research Emphasis/Objectives

The Caribbean Primate Research Center’s mission is to increase our scientific understanding of primate biology and behavior and undertake humane research that improves human health and welfare. In this regard, CPRC is committed to (a) providing the national and international scientific community with Indian-origin rhesus macaques with known background and of the same genetic pool, (b) providing a scientific scenario for studies of numerous diseases that afflict human health, and (c) conducting multidisciplinary collaborative studies on the life cycle of rhesus macaques as a biological model for humans.

Services Provided

We provide the following services and data to our investigators and partner researchers:

Demographic data: The demographic database of Cayo Santiago Field Station is based on daily visual census and includes over 60 years of data and over 11,000 rhesus monkeys. Data include ID, date of birth, date of death, social group, inter-group migration, and maternity.

Genetic data: The genetic database of the CPRC based on short tandem repeats (STRs) includes over 5,000 rhesus monkeys. Data are used for paternity and maternal confirmation. 

Skeleton collection: The collection consists of over 3,300 rhesus monkey skeletons (2,634 skeletons with known ID and life history). The Laboratory of Primate Morphology also offers skeletons of other 12 primate species, including patas, squirrel, pigtail, vervet, stump-tail, and tufted capuchin monkeys.

Molecular biology tools: The Virology Laboratory offers a set of molecular biology and bench services and tools for handling and processing samples, including real-time PCR, molecular cloning, SDS-PAGE, Western Blot, ELISA, PBMC's isolation and culture, cell proliferation, multiplex platform for cytokine detection by Luminex technology, RNA extraction, IFA experiments, and immunophenotyping and dendritic cells determination.

Immunology Core (IC): The IC is integrated into the Virology Laboratory. The IC acts as a service unit to other investigators conducting research projects at CPRC. The IC provides services in the areas of immunological assays using a state-of-the-art Bio-Plex MAGPIX, which integrates Luminex XMAP technology (Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA), and flow cytometry through the acquisition of an Attune Acoustic FACS (Life Technologies, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA) for cell phenotyping.

Contact Information

Caribbean Primate Research Center
Road 867 / Bo. Ingenio
In front of "Finca Ingenio"
Toa Baja, PR 00949
cprc.rcm.upr.edu

Co-Principal Investigators

PI: Dr. Carlos A. Sariol
Phone: 787-758-2525 x5112, x1189
Fax: 787-767-1442
carlos.sariol1@upr.edu

Other/Resource Contacts

PI: Dr. Melween I. Martinez
Phone: 787-756-6540 (Animal Resources Center)
Phone: 787-474-0593 (CPRC)
Fax: 787-758-2452 
melween.martinez@upr.edu

Grant Number: R24OD021324

Research Emphasis/Objectives

The Macaque Genotype and Phenotype (mGAP) resource is producing genome-wide variant data from hundreds of rhesus macaques to establish the first centralized database enabling access to, and comparison of, rhesus macaque genotype data across all National Primate Research Centers (NPRCs). This resource expedites rhesus macaque genotype–phenotype analysis and the discovery of new nonhuman primate models of human disease.

Services Provided

The mGAP research resource (mgap.ohsu.edu) contains roughly 30 million sequence variants identified in 1,200 rhesus macaques located at six NPRCs. mGAP’s variant search, based on either macaque or human reference coordinates, enables the discovery of individual macaques across the NPRC system that carry a particular genotype of interest. In addition, by linking mGAP variant data to human-based annotations and the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), one can also search for variants based on phenotype of interest and identify individuals that carry those alleles.  

Animals

Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

Biological Materials

Genotyping

Single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) are identified from both whole genome and whole exome data using state-of-the art bioinformatics approaches.

Contact Information

Oregon National Primate Research Center
Oregon Health & Science University
505 N.W. 185th Avenue
Beaverton, OR 97006-3499
ONPRC | OHSU

Principal Investigator

Betsy Ferguson, Ph.D.
Phone: 503-533-2403
Fax: 503-690-5384
fergusob@ohsu.edu

Grant Number: P40OD024628

Research Emphasis/Objectives

The main objectives of the Specific-Pathogen-Free Baboon Research Resource (SPFBRR) are to conduct applied research to improve the resource, support investigators who need facilities and expertise for research projects involving olive baboons that are free of all known adventitious viruses of baboons, and expand the resource to create a self-sustaining SPF breeding colony of behaviorally healthy and genetically robust breeding animals.

Current Research

Adventitious virus-free baboons are used primarily in infectious disease research, including studies of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), pertussis (whooping cough), and bacterial sepsis. Additionally, virus-free baboons are used to support xenotransplantation research. Virus-free baboons also are used to study the pathogenesis of herpesvirus and retrovirus infections in their native hosts. Because baboons have a more complete immune system than macaques and other commonly used research nonhuman primates (NHPs), animals from our colony also have been used extensively to support vaccine development studies, including novel human vaccines for COVID-19.

Services Provided

To Outside Investigators

Tissues and biologics are available. Specimens are provided on a priority basis to NIH-sponsored research studies. Prices are available upon request. 

To Collaborating Scientists

Individuals interested in collaborative studies should contact the principal investigator and provide a study outline. Approval of collaborative projects depends on the relevance of the proposed project to the objectives of the ongoing research effort. Complete animal husbandry, medical care, and pathology services are available without charge to investigators who have received approval from the principal investigator to use resource colony animals.

Animal Resources

The SPFBRR is the only national research resource of olive baboons that is free of all known adventitious viruses of baboons available to NIH grantees; intramural research programs of federal agencies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, National Science Foundation, and NIH; and other sponsors of biomedical research. Absolutely unique in the entire world, the baboons in the SPFBRR have an extensive bioexclusion list of 19 pathogens normally found in other wild and captive NHP colonies.

Contact Information

SPF Baboon Research Resource
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research
Department of Comparative Medicine
650 Cool Water Dr.
Bastrop, TX 78602
mdanderson.org/kccmr

Principal Investigator and Contact

Joe H. Simmons, D.V.M., Ph.D., DACLAM
Phone: 512-321-3991
Fax: 512-332-5208
jhsimmons1@mdanderson.org

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

Grant Number: P40OD010965

Research Emphasis/Objectives

The Vervet Research Colony (VRC) is the only NIH-funded national research resource with the mandate to provide the biomedical research community with access to United States-born, known-age, pedigreed, genomically sequenced, pathogen-free Caribbean-origin vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus, also known as African green monkeys, or AGM). The VRC supports investigators by providing access to animals, extensive multisystem clinical phenotyping, biological sample and data repositories, and expertise in the use of nonhuman primate models for translational studies. The VRC has supported critical translational research in a wide variety of disciplines, including aging and Alzheimer’s disease, immunology and vaccine development, diabetes/obesity, biomedical imaging, and genetics, among others. The VRC also serves as a platform for training veterinarians and other professionals in biomedical research, husbandry, clinical care, and the colony/behavioral management of this unique nonhuman primate species. All of the animals in the colony are captive-born and mother-reared in species-typical social groups.

Services Provided

The aims of the VRC resource are to (1) provide the scientific community with access to animals, biological samples, data, and expertise to facilitate the use of vervets/AGMs for a wide range of biomedical research; (2) to provide exceptional training opportunities for veterinarians and researchers interested in using vervets for translational research and to serve as a platform for community and scientific outreach to foster better understanding of the use of nonhuman primates in biomedical research; and (3) to enhance the resource by engaging in applied research focused on continuing genetic and phenotypic characterization of vervets across the lifespan and evaluation of the vervet as a potential translational model in novel research areas. The VRC aims to provide outstanding resources and services to enable local, regional, and national researchers to utilize the VRC for multicategorical research, including the facilitation of on-site studies. The VRC is a critical component of the Wake Forest Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA), which provides administrative support and facilitates the utilization of the VRC resource across the larger CTSA network. The VRC is able to take full advantage of a wide range of existing research facilities within the Wake Forest School of Medicine, including multimodal imaging capabilities (CT, MRI, PET), veterinary and pathology expertise, and genetic and analytic resources.

Contact Information

Vervet Research Colony
Department of Pathology, Section on Comparative Medicine
Wake Forest School of Medicine
Medical Center Blvd.
Winston-Salem, NC  27157
primates@wakehealth.edu 
school.wakehealth.edu/Departments/Pathology/Comparative-Medicine/Vervet-Research-Colony

Principal Investigator

Matthew J. Jorgensen, Ph.D.
Phone: 336-716-6935
Fax: 336-716-1515
mjorgens@wakehealth.edu

Maintenance of a Closed Caribbean Primate Research Center Specific-Pathogen-Free Colony

Grant Number: U42OD021458

Research Emphasis/Objectives

Research objectives are to (1) establish and maintain a specific-pathogen-free (SPF) rhesus macaque supply and breeding colony program; and (2) enhance the existing SPF rhesus macaque supply and breeding colony program at the SabanaSeca Field Station of the Caribbean Primate Research Center (CPRC). The CPRC program will make a significant contribution to advancing AIDS research by providing high-quality and healthy SPF rhesus monkeys to NIH-sponsored research programs. The CPRC program uses genetically characterized, major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-typed, Indian-origin monkeys from CPRC's free-ranging colony on the island of Cayo Santiago. Previous surveys have shown that the Cayo Santiago macaques are free of several important viruses, including retroviruses and simian virus 40 (SV-40), and that the majority of immature animals are negative for herpes B virus (Herpesvirus simiae or Cercopithecine herpesvirus 1). About 20–25 percent of these monkeys also are Mamu-A*01 positive. Currently, there is a shortage of SPF rhesus monkeys for biomedical research, and the demand for these animals is expected to increase dramatically in the future. The establishment and maintenance of this program at the SabanaSeca Field Station will help meet the increased demand for both SPF (free of herpes B virus, simian type D retrovirus, simian immunodeficiency virus [SIV], simian T-lymphotrophic virus [STLV] 1, and SV-40) and Mamu-A*01-positive rhesus monkeys. Forty-five SPF females and nine SPF males (nine breeding groups) will be added to the colony each year through internal recruitment from Cayo Santiago and the SabanaSeca Field Station. MHC-typing and selective breeding will be used to increase the production of SPF Mamu-A*01-positive offspring.

The Virology Laboratory conducts research on recombinant DNA vaccines using rhesus macaques and performs viral tests for herpes B virus, STLV, and SIV. The biosafety level 2/3 Virology Laboratory has allowed the CPRC to establish the SPF program under the sponsorship of ORIP, and one of its major objectives is to support ongoing SPF programs. The laboratory serves as a platform of research in vaccine development (simian/human immunodeficiency virus [SHIV], SIV, dengue) and in genetics. This laboratory provides services to the conventional and SPF CPRC colonies (viral serology/PCR). With the support of R01 and U01 NIH grants, this laboratory is collaborating with mainland investigators in vaccine and pathogenesis studies involving rhesus macaques.

Services Provided

CPRC welcomes collaborative research with established behavioral and biomedical investigators and encourages the use of its animal and osteological resources for dissertation research. Investigators are charged modest use fees for access to the animals, computerized database, and office space. All proposals receive rigorous peer review and are judged on scientific merit, feasibility, and potential overlap with ongoing studies. Protocols using live monkeys must be approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) of the home institution, as well as the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus IACUC.

Contact Information

University of Puerto Rico
Medical Sciences Campus
P.O. Box 1053
Sabana Seca, PR 00952-1053
CPRC: cprc.rcm.upr.edu
Virology Laboratory: cprc.rcm.upr.edu/?q=facilities2

Principal Investigator

Melween Martínez, Ph.D.
Phone: 787-474-0604
melween.martinez@upr.edu

Other Contacts

Carlos A. Sariol, M.D.
Phone: 787-758-2525 ext. 5112 or ext. 1189
Fax: 787-767-1442
carlos.sariol1@upr.edu

Virology Laboratory
Office B-315
University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine
P.O. Box 365067
San Juan, PR 00936-5067

Development of a Specific-Pathogen-Free Macaca nemestrina Breeding Colony

Grant Number: U42OD013117

Research Emphasis/Objectives

The specific-pathogen-free pigtail macaque (Macaca nemestrina) breeding colony at the Johns Hopkins University serves as a national resource for this species. Pigtail macaques are used in several research fields, including HIV/AIDS, neuroscience, immunology, teratology, behavioral sciences, psychophysics, ophthalmology, drug abuse, xenotransplantation, and reproductive system function, among others.

The aims of this resource are to develop and expand a colony of pigtail macaques that are free of specific pathogens (herpes B virus, simian retrovirus, simian T-lymphotrophic virus, and simian immunodeficiency virus [SIV]) and which have complete pedigrees and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) profiles.

The primary research use for these animals is the study of the pathogenesis of SIV, primarily in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Johns Hopkins’ scientists have developed an alternate method to track SIV-induced nerve fiber loss by measuring small nerve density in the sub-basal plexus of the cornea. Initial studies showed that corneal nerve fiber loss corresponds closely with loss of epidermal nerve fibers in SIV-infected animals.

The colony currently consists of 200 animals divided into single-male breeding harems. Annual production is approximately 40 infants per year. The ultimate goal is to produce 100 offspring per year.

Services Provided

Up to 50% of male offspring may be available for a fee to NIH-funded investigators outside Johns Hopkins University. Blood samples and selected formalin fixed tissues may be also provided.

Contact Information

Principal Investigator

Robert J. Adams, D.V.M.
Research Animal Resources
Ross Research 459
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD 21205
Phone: 410-955-3273
rjadams@jhmi.edu

Grant Number: U42OD011123

Research Emphasis/Objectives

The objective of this project is to maintain and enhance the specific-pathogen-free (SPF) pigtail macaque (Macaca nemestrina) breeding colony at the Washington National Primate Research Center (WaNPRC). M. nemestrina have unique immunological, genetic, behavioral, anatomical, and physiological characteristics that make them an essential model in a number of areas of research related to HIV/AIDS. Specific pathogens, including simian immunodeficiency virus, simian type D retrovirus, simian T-lymphotrophic virus 1, and Macacine alphaherpes virus 1 (McHV-1 or B virus), are a threat to animal or human health or interfere with research and must be excluded to optimize nonhuman primate research models. We maintain the WaNPRC SPF M. nemestrina breeding colony to provide animals of the highest quality to meet research needs. Genetic and diagnostic tools for this species have been developed for this species, ensuring that major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-typed, genetically defined, SPF M. nemestrina can be provided to meet HIV/AIDS researchers’ needs.

Services Provided

SPF pigtail macaques (M. nemestrina) are available for assignment to AIDS-related research projects. The WaNPRC Animal Allocation Committee has responsibility for allocating animal resources, with preference given to NIH-funded investigators. To request additional information regarding animal use fees and availability of pigtail macaques for a specific research project, please contact the Resource Contact listed below.

Contact Information

Washington National Primate Research Center
University of Washington Box 357330
Health Sciences Center, Room I-421
Seattle, WA 98195-7330
wanprc.org

Co-Principal Investigators

Charlotte E. Hotchkiss, D.V.M., M.S., Ph.D.
Phone: 206-685-2881
Fax: 206-616-1710
chotchki@uw.edu

Sally Thompson-Iritani, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Phone: 206-661-6294
Fax: 206-616-1710
sti2@uw.edu

Other/Resource Contacts

Jesse Day
Phone: 206-646-0154
jessed10@uw.edu