Improving Research Resources at the TNPRC to Support COVID-19 Research

PROJECT SUMMARY/Abstract: The Tulane National Primate Research Center (TNPRC) is one of seven National Primate Research Centers(NPRCs) sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. The Center is dedicated to providing the infrastructureand support for basic and applied research efforts to advance scientific knowledge and improve human andanimal health and wellbeing. Resources provided to core and affiliate scientists include well-characterizednonhuman primates and state-of-the-art research instrumentation.The TNPRC has one of the largest Indian-origin rhesus monkey breeding colonies in the United States. Overthe past five years, these colonies produced between 200-900 infants a year and provided close to 2,000 animalsfor biomedical research programs. Currently, there is high demand for specific pathogen free (SPF) macaqueson a national level, which requires continued availability of these resources. The TNPRC P51 base grant (P51OD011104) provides funds to support and maintain this colony, while two U42 grants and program incomederived from animal sales supply additional funds. Ongoing support for moderate expansion of the SPF colonywill continue to come from sources other than the TNPRC P51 base grant and U42 grants, including programincome from the sale of animals, construction grants, and supplements.A variety of core laboratories support TNPRC research and animal care activities, including a newly establishedHigh Containment Research Performance Core. This core includes both BSL-2 and BSL-3 spaces and operatesunder a quality assurance model to enhance rigor and reproducibility. These laboratories are equipped with high-end instrumentation used to generate high quality data from nonhuman primate research. Additional laboratoryequipment is needed to support a rapidly expanding and critically needed coronavirus research program.This supplement to the P51 base grant will be used to add one new outdoor housing enclosure, enable use ofanother existing enclosure on the breeding colony campus, and to provide funds for purchase of researchinstrumentation. The proposed breeding colony enclosures will be used to house SPF animals and have beendesigned to maximize capacity and flexibility for the available funding and to provide novel and provenenvironmental enhancement components. The addition of nonhuman primate housing and equipment resourcesfalls within the goals of the parent award. The benefits realized from these improvements will assist our effortsto enhance our capability to support core and affiliate scientists' COVID-19 research programs.