Nonhuman Primate Pilot Grant Program
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Vetrinarians from the Division of Veterinary Medicine at TNPRC perform video assisted thoracoscopic surgery on a rhesus monkey. Minimally invasive endoscopic surgery minimizes surgical morbidity and provides for a more rapid recovery when compared to open surgical techniques. |
The purpose of this Pilot Grant Program is to (a) facilitate opportunities for investigators from Penn, CHOP, and Wistar to utilize nonhuman primates for studies of AIDS, and (b) foster collaborations between AIDS investigators of the Penn CFAR and nonhuman primate researchers at the Tulane National Primate Research Center (TNPRC). The Penn CFAR’s Nonhuman Primate Core, based at TNPRC, provides animals (typically rhesus macaques) and support for these studies. The goal of this program is to enable investigators to acquire sufficient data that can be applied for future external funding.
Funds are available for the procurement and care of up to 4 animals per project, and support is provided for appropriate animal laboratory studies, including collection of body fluids, biopsies, surgeries, necropsies and basic laboratory studies for simian (SIV) or simian/human (SHIV) immunodeficiency virus research. From 1 to 3 projects per year will be funded, depending on the number of animals requested, the length of the project, and receipt of competitive applications. Laboratory studies performed at Penn/CHOP/Wistar will be the responsibility of the investigator. There are no funds available for salary support.
Investigators from Penn, CHOP, and Wistar are eligible for this Pilot Program. Junior investigators and HIV/AIDS investigators with no previous experience using the nonhuman primate model are particularly encouraged to apply.
If interested, it is required that all applicants contact one of the investigators (listed below) from the Tulane National Primate Research Center as early as possible to discuss potential studies, study design, and availability of animals.
All areas of HIV/AIDS research are eligible, including those related to HIV/SIV/SHIV pathogenesis, viral reservoirs, models for viral eradication and functional cure, vaccines, and behavioral research. Project goals should be concordant with NIH priorities for HIV/AIDS research as revised in 2015.
No budget page is required as the award is for procurement, care and use of animals at TNPRC.
We are not accepting applications at this time. Please check back for future funding opportunities !
TNPRC Investigators:
| Dr. Ron Veazey rveazey@tulane.edu |
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| For studies involving behavioral research: | Dr. Kate Baker kbaker1@tulane.edu |
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Previous Nonhuman Primate Pilot Projects
| Year | Investigator | Title of Project |
| 2017 | Sita Awasthi, PhD, Harvey Friedman, MD | Evaluation of a trivalent genital herpes vaccine in reducing susceptibility to SIV infection in HSV-2 infected rhesus macaques |
| 2017 | Michael Betts, PhD | Interruption of lymphocyte egress from lymphoid tissue during acute SIV!infection |
| 2017 | Luis Montaner, DVM, MSc, DPhil | Pilot study to establish anti-Bcl-6 FX1 as an anti-HIV/SIV strategy by limiting SIV retention in germinal centers and replication in T follicular helper cells following ART-suppression |
| 2015 | Katharine Bar, MD | A transmitted/founder simian human immunodeficiency virus/nonhuman primate model of HIV-1 infection and latency |
| 2014 | Kelly Jordan-Sciutto, PhD | Contribution of peripheral HIV infections and antiretroviral therapy to neuropathology in SIV-infected Rhesus Macaques |
| 2014 | Greg Bisson, MD, MSCE | Immunologic effects of IL-7 in TB: A pilot study |
| 2012 | David Allman, Ph.D. | Long-lived plasma cells in non-human primates |
| 2012 | Michael P. Cancro, Ph. D., Jean L. Scholz, Ph.D. | Manipulating BLyS as a strategy for relaxing B cell selection to reveal neutralizing specificities in nonhuman primates |
| 2011 | Sita Awasthi, Ph.D., Harvey Friedman, M.D. | Evaluation of Immunogenicity and efficacy of a HSV-2 trivalent vaccine in macaque model of HSV-2 vaginal infection |
| 2011 | Beatrice Hahn, M.D., Nick Parrish | Transmissibility of a SIVmac239 mutant with increased Env content |
| 2011 | George Shaw, M.D., Ph.D. | Hypermutation in the 5' untranslated region (5' UTR) of SIVmac 251/239: A novel mechanism of virus containment and escape |
| 2010 | James Hoxie, M.D. | In vivo studies of a novel CD4-independent variant of SIVmac239 |
| 2010 | Una O'Doherty, Ph.D., |
SIV Reservoir Size and Location in Chinese Rhesus Macaques Progressors and Nonprogressors |
| 2010 | John Wherry, Ph.D., Charley Kao |
T-bet-dependent regulation of CD8 T cell exhaustion and PD-expression during SIV infection |
| 2009 | Robert Doms, M.D., Ph.D. | Zinc finger nuclease-mediated disruption of HIV-1 coreceptors |
| 2009 | Dennis Kolson, M.D., Ph.D. Francisco Gonzalez-Scarano, M.D. | Oral dimethyl fumarate (BG-12), Funaderm?, an immune modulator and novel candidate central nervous system (CNS) neuroprotectant against SIV/HIV |
| 2008 | Ronald Collman, M.D. | Gut Microbial Modification in SIV Immune Activation |
| 2008 | Fred Frankel, Ph.D. | Intranasal Challenge |
| 2008 | Samuel Parry, M.D. and Preston Marx, Ph.D. | Heterosexual Transmission of HIV: The Uterus as a Critical Target |
| 2007 | Jean Boyer, Ph.D. | The Impact of Parasitic Infection on AIDS Vaccines |
| 2007 | Dennis Kolson, M.D., Ph.D. and Kelly Jordan-Sciutto, Ph.D. | The Integrated Stress Response (ISR) in SIV Neuropathogenesis |
| 2007 | Elena Perez, M.D., Ph.D. and Carl June, M.D. | NHP CCR5 ZFNs Proof of Concept |
| 2006 | Frederic Bushman, Ph.D. | Lentiviral Infection and Dynamics of the Gut Microbial Flora |
| 2005 | Luis Montaner, D.V.M., D.Phil. and Andrew Lackner, D.V.M., Ph.D. | TALL-104 Cell Inhibition of SIV Infection |
| 2005 | David B. Weiner, Ph.D. | Directing Lymphoid Compartments by DNA Vaccines |
| 2004 | Steven D. Douglas, M.D. | Pilot Study of the Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of Aprepitant, a Neurokinin-1R Receptor Antagonist, in Uninfected and SIV-infected Rhesus Macaques |
| 2004 | Drew Weissman, Ph.D. | Analysis of Viral and Immune Response in Lymph Nodes of Virologically Suppressed SIV-infected Macaques |