SPF INDIAN RHESUS MONKEY COLONY FOR AIDS RESEARCH: HIV ANIMAL MODELS

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The specific aim of this application is to establish a colony of Indian rhesus monkeys, free of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV), simian retrovirus (SRV), herpes b virus, and simian t-lymphotrophic virus (STLV1). This will be accomplished by recruitment of 100 specific pathogen free (SPF) female rhesus monkeys and 15 SPF males in the first year. An additional 50 SPF females and 10 males will be added to the founding colony in each of the subsequent 4 years. We project that by the end of the grant period the colony will have 625 animals. Monkeys will be screened for the presence of the specific pathogens 4 times in the first two years and twice a year after. Social groups will be kept small, 5 to 7 females, and the monkeys will be housed outdoors, in 20ft x 20ft enclosures on natural surfaces. Screening for the presence of the specific pathogens will be done at the Center with validation of assays utilizing commercial labs and NIH funded testing centers. We will incorporate assisted reproductive techniques such as artificial insemination to maximize the productivity of the colony. In addition, we have contracted with established laboratories to genetically monitor the colony for genetic diversity and to identify specific traits that are currently valuable in AIDS research.