The ARTs in Action in Nonhuman Primates

描述(由申请人提供)： 非人灵长类动物(NHP)是研究人类健康的有价值的模型，对不孕不育和避孕、传染病和疫苗开发、药物和酒精成瘾、脑疾病、基于基因和干细胞的治疗以及移植生物学的生物医学研究具有直接意义。对于具有独特基因类型的无特定病原体(SPF)动物的种群有很大的需求，这不能通过从野生动物进口或通过选择性繁殖来鉴定和繁殖创始动物来满足。SPF，印度血统的恒河猴携带特定的MHC等位基因只是一个例子。在过去的20年里，抗逆转录病毒疗法在人类中得到了广泛的实践，它们在国家卫生保健计划中的应用虽然可能非常有用，但还没有达到足以影响上述需求的规模。这项申请寻求对讲习班的支持，该讲习班将确定和讨论在国家卫生计划中利用艺术的综合方法，从而最大限度地促进当前和未来的研究工作。研讨会的总体主题是基于这样一个概念，即通过增加所需基因类型的动物、基因相同的动物和SPF动物的可用性，可以显著提高使用NHP的研究的质量和数量。研讨会的目的是：1)审查在国家生殖健康计划中使用技术的生殖研究的现状，包括基本概念和具体应用；2)加强国家生殖研究中心和学术机构之间在生殖研究方面的互动和合作努力，包括在临床上重要但不能在人类身上完成的不孕不育和避孕发展研究；以及3)确定有效地扩大国家生殖健康中心在国家卫生政策中发展和实践艺术的能力的战略。拟议的讲习班将作为卫星会议在国际胚胎移植学会年会之前举行。这一安排将允许与会者出席这两个会议，并应鼓励研究实习生和研究员参加。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The nonhuman primate (NHP) is a valuable model for studying human health with direct implications to biomedical investigations of infertility and contraception, infectious diseases and vaccine development, drug and alcohol addiction, brain disorders, gene and stem cell based therapy and transplant biology. There are significant needs for populations of specific pathogen-free (SPF) animals with unique genotypes that cannot be satisfied by the importation of animals from the wild or by the identification and propagation of founder animals by selective breeding. SPF, Indian-origin, rhesus macaques carrying specific MHC alleles is but one example. The (ARTs) have been practiced extensively in humans over the last 20 years and their applications in NHPs, while potentially very useful, have yet to be realized on a scale adequate to impact the needs described above. This application seeks support for a workshop that will identify and discuss integrative approaches to exploit the ARTs in NHPs thereby maximizing their contribution to ongoing and future research efforts. The overall topic of the workshop is based on the concept that research using NHPs can be improved significantly both in quality and quantity by increased availability of animals of desired genotypes, of genetically identical animals and of SPF animals. The aims of the workshop are to: 1) Review the current state of reproductive research employing the ARTs in NHPs including both basic concepts and specific applications; 2) Enhance interactions and collaborative efforts within and between NPRCs and academic institutions concerning reproductive research including infertility and contraceptive development studies that are clinically important but can't be accomplished in humans; and 3) Identify strategies that effectively expand NPRCs abilities to develop and practice the ARTs in NHPs. The proposed workshop will be held as a satellite meeting immediately prior to the annual meeting of the International Embryo Transfer Society. This arrangement will permit attendees to attend both meetings and should encourage participation by research trainees and fellows.