Expansion of Macaque Breeding runs at the New Iberia Research Center

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University of Louisiana at Lafayette C06 Expansion of Macaque Breeding capacity at the New Iberia Research Center Abstract: As part of its expansion of its HIV/AIDS research program, the New Iberia Research Center (NIRC) at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette) proposes to add macaque breeding capacity by the construction of 2 multi-run housing buildings complete with roofing, electricity, water, heating and air circulation for an added capacity of 1600 macaque breeders + offsprings via the Ragin Cajun Facilities, Inc. Foundation. NIRC has experienced exponential growth in the past 6 years, playing a critical role in the SARS-CoV2 pandemic while maintaining a vigorous HIV research program in support of collaborators whose laboratories were shut down. As part of this growth, NIRC has expanded its nonhuman primate (NHP) breeding and cohorts, from 6,400 to >10,000 NHPs, now the largest primate center in the US. The recent suspension of primate export from China and the limitations on NHP transport in cargo, have created an acute and monumental shortage of research NHPs, markedly amplified by their heavy use to test COVID vaccines and therapies. This has doubled and tripled animal acquisition costs, which will largely limit primate based research for academic investigators for the next decade and beyond. In efforts to palliate this gap in supply, NIRC has, and continues to expand NHP breeding and research housing, in addition to ongoing renovation of laboratory space and the construction of a BSL-3 facility regrouping rodents, NHPs and labs. The ongoing increase in breeder and research space has been the conversion of space originally used for chimpanzees into monkey social and research (quad cages) housing, and the construction of 2 new multi-run housing buildings supported by a C06 award obtained in 2021 (projected completion and occupancy date in late 2023). NIRC currently has ~1400 2-4 year old rhesus macaques future breeders slated to occupy this space, and given an annual live birth rate of >1000 rhesus macaques, NIRC has to expand such housing option further, via the construction of 2 additional identical units via this proposal. Of note, there will be space for 3 more such units for future expansion in the same area. This type of building has been specifically designed and extensively tested for macaque housing/breeding at a facility in Texas, attesting to the adequacy, ease of maintenance and longevity of such construction in southern climates. Each building unit will comprise 20 indoor/outdoor runs able to accommodate up to 20 breeder animals each for a total capacity of ~800 breeders and their offsprings. This expansion is critical to accommodate the rapidly increasing research programs at NIRC as well as the support of NIAID VRC and SVEU HIV/AIDS focused programs. NIRC supports many both onsite and collaborative programs on lentiviral pathogenesis supported by state of the art imaging capabilities including a whole body to signal cell analysis approach, therapeutic approaches aimed at curing HIV, and an extensive program to prevent mucosal viral acquisition via protective experimental vaccines, vaginal and colorectal microbicides. Many of these programs are experiencing delays due to NHP and space shortages, which are holding back the scientific expansion of NIRC and the support of HIV/AIDS NIH funded research.