Specific Pathogen Free 18 Baboon Research Resource (SPF18BRR)

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PROJECT SUMMARY: OVERALL COMPONENT This application is a competing renewal of the “Specific Pathogen Free 18 Baboon Research Resource” (SPF18BRR) P40 OD024628. The SPF18BRR was founded with NIH support at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) in 2002 and was relocated to the Keeling Center in 2017. The SPF18BRR has received continuous NIH support since it was founded. The SPF18BRR is the only national research resource of adventitious virus free olive baboons (Papio anubis) that are available to NIH grantees; intramural research programs of federal agencies, including the FDA, NSF and NIH; and other sponsors of biomedical research (private foundations, pharmaceutical companies, and contract research organizations). Absolutely unique in the entire world, the baboons in the SPF18BRR have an extensive bioexclusion list of 18 pathogens normally found in other wild and captive nonhuman primate colonies. The SPF18BRR has integrated multiple disciplines into a program designed to meet the needs of investigators who utilize its resources. During the proposed period of support, the SPF18BRR will continue to improve the resources it provides to users and will continue to add new information about the biology and research value of virus free baboons to its website. Baboons continue to be important animal model for genetically engineered pig xenotransplantation, are the only NHP model of respiratory syncytial virus and whooping cough, and they remain a very important model of bacterial sepsis. Additionally, baboons are excellent models of human COVID associated pneumonia, and they were instrumental in the development of approved vaccines for SARS CoV-2. Over the next five years, the SPF18BRR will focus on expanding the SPF18 baboon breeding colony to meet current and future biomedical research needs. The aims of the Resource Core Component address our continued commitment to expanding the SPF18 baboon breeding colony, we will increase the genetic diversity of the SPF18 breeding colony, and we will provide SPF18 baboons, facilities, training, and expertise to the scientific community. The Applied Research Component will include projects to develop methods to train and collect data from automated cognitive testing systems in socially living baboons; we will also determine a DNA methylation clock for our baboon colony, and will perform baseline biomarker analysis for a panel of 30 biomarkers for all animals over 3 years old in our colony; and, we will perform whole genome sequencing on 9 future conventional baboon breeders from the Southwest National Primate Center’s olive baboon colony, as well as targeted genomic sequencing on other interesting animals from the SPF18BRR. The overall goals of theSPF18BRR are to provide a national research resource of virus free olive baboons; provide baboon derived biological materials; provide education and training opportunities to scientist, colony managers, and animal caregivers who want to work with baboons; and to provide investigators with facilities and expertise to conduct studies using virus free baboons.