Animal Resources and Laboratory Services

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The majority of NIAID Category A, B, and C pathogens, and nearly all emerging infectious diseases that threaten humans, are zoonotic agents. Thus, animals serve as sources, reservoirs, carriers, and vectors of a wide variety of pathogens. Importantly, research on agents of relevance to biodefense and emerging infectious diseases must use animal models for hypothesis-driven investigation of pathogenesis and immunity, as well as testing and validating vaccine, therapeutic, and diagnostic concepts. DC Davis hosts highly interactive Schools of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. For the PSW-RCE, the Animal Resources and Laboratory Services Core offers a broad array of animal modeling expertise, technical support, and instrumentation to the scientific community that is involved in responding to national research initiatives in biodefense pathogens and emerging infectious diseases. An important emphasis is on the development of multiplex microbead immunoassays for infectious disease detection through collaborations with other PSW-RCE Projects. A highly interactive collaboration between this Animal Core and the Immunoassay Development Services Core aims to produce a deliverable multiplex diagnostic system for arbovirus serosurveillance. Additionally, the Animal Core coordinates access of RCE investigators to a broad array of existing animal-related resources at DC Davis, including the Center for Comparative Medicine, the Mouse Biology Program, the California National Primate Research Center, the Center for Vector Borne Diseases, and others. The Core provides access for RCE investigators to expertise in comparative and experimental pathology through an innovative telepathology system, with capabilities to link other RCE sites: http://pswrce.compmed.ucdavis.edu/ The Core's mission is to stimulate and facilitate collaborative research interactions among RCE investigators and scientists needing expertise in animal research. These interactions aim to leverage RCE support into independent research programs that foster the NIH research mission in biodefense and emerging infectious disease research. For the renewal grant application, the Core has three major objectives: (1) development of Core infrastructure (expertise, access, prioritization, website, recharge, biosafety training, emergency response network), (2) development of multiplex immunoassay capabilities (serosurveillance of arboviruses via collaboration with the Immunoassay Development Services Core, and (3) support for new collaborative research opportunities in animal models (e.g., West Nile virus, Chikungunga virus, Francisella tularensis) needing animal resources and laboratory