Texas Biomed researchers complete critical preclinical study to advance potential tuberculosis therapy toward human clinical trials
SAN ANTONIO (September 27, 2024) – A therapy showing promise to help control tuberculosis (TB) does not interfere with combined antiretroviral therapy (cART), according to research by Texas Biomedical Research Institute (Texas Biomed).
“This is an important hurdle that this host-directed therapy had to clear in order to help patients battling both HIV and TB,” said Texas Biomed Professor Smriti Mehra, Ph.D., who led the study recently published in the peer-reviewed journal JCI Insight.
TB is responsible for more than 1.3 million deaths worldwide every year. Dr. Mehra and her team have been investigating a therapy currently used in cancer as a potential treatment for patients with drug-resistant TB and/or comorbid HIV. While many cases of TB can be controlled with months of antibiotics, the infection can return in people who are immunocompromised as a result of HIV. Now that cART is so effective at controlling HIV, a resurging TB infection can often be deadly to those individuals.
Dr. Mehra is studying a host-directed therapy that blocks or inhibits an immune system protein naturally found in the body. The protein, called IDO (short for Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase), normally suppresses the immune system, preventing it from causing excessive inflammation and organ damage. Inhibiting IDO for short intervals of time has led to more successful cancer treatments. Dr. Mehra’s team has previously shown the same approach improves control of TB in conjunction with antibiotics.
This current study in nonhuman primates with both TB and simian immunodeficiency virus, the nonhuman primate version of HIV, showed the IDO inhibitor does not interfere with cART.
Researchers compare the impacts of cART by itself versus cART plus the IDO inhibitor in lung tissue of nonhuman primates with both TB and SIV. Left: Following just cART, significantly more IDO is detected in pink. Right: With the IDO inhibitor and cART, more immune cells recruited to fight bacteria are observed inside the granuloma, a hallmark structure of TB. Specifically, CD4+ T cells are in green and CD68 proteins expressed by macrophages are in red.
“There was no increase in viral load in animals given cART and the IDO inhibitor, compared with animals only given cART, proving the inhibitor is safe to give to patients with HIV,” Dr. Mehra said.
Now that the researchers have shown the inhibitor works well in conjunction with TB antibiotics and with cART separately, they plan to study how it performs when given in conjunction with both antibiotics and cART together. This treatment regimen is standard for patients with both HIV and active TB. Dr. Mehra said that longer-term studies are also needed to confirm there are no unintended side effects.
The IDO inhibitor is already FDA-approved for use in patients with cancer, which shortens the path to potential approval for patients with TB/HIV when compared with developing a brand-new drug.
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About Texas Biomed
Texas Biomed is a nonprofit research institute dedicated to protecting the global community from infectious diseases. Through basic research, preclinical testing and innovative partnerships, we accelerate diagnostics, therapies and vaccines for the world’s deadliest pathogens. Our San Antonio campus hosts high containment laboratories and the Southwest National Primate Research Center. Our scientists collaborate with industry and researchers globally, and have helped deliver the first COVID-19 vaccine, the first Ebola treatment and first Hepatitis C therapy.
Antibody developed in part by Associate Professor Greg Ippolito, Ph.D., works against a wide range of COVID-19 variants and related coronaviruses, including past, present and potentially future strains.
SAN ANTONIO (Sept. 5, 2024) — A monoclonal antibody appears effective at neutralizing the numerous variants of SARS-CoV-2, as well as related viruses in animals that could pose a threat if they were to begin spreading in people. The antibody, called SC27, was recently described in Cell Reports Medicine.
The finding opens the possibility of broader, more effective treatments to work against current and future COVID variants.
Monoclonal antibody SC27 was identified, developed and provisionally patented by a team of researchers led by Greg Ippolito, Ph.D., who recently joined Texas Biomedical Research Institute (Texas Biomed), from University of Texas at Austin. Other team leaders included Jason Lavinder, Ph.D., at UT and Ralph Baric, Ph.D., at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“Other COVID-19 antibodies have been rendered ineffective as SARS-CoV-2 has evolved over the past several years,” says Dr. Ippolito, an Associate Professor. “Our new study suggests the virus is less likely to escape this treatment because SC27 targets and attaches to multiple parts of the virus’s spike protein, including sections that are not mutating as frequently.”
SC27 appears to work in two ways: it blocks the ACE2 binding site, which the virus uses to bind to, enter and infect cells. It also binds to a hidden or “cryptic” site on the underside of the spike protein that is largely unchanged or “conserved” between variants, which means SC27 can broadly recognize variants and related viruses. This is critical because if an antibody’s shape does not match enough with a virus – like two puzzle pieces that don’t quite fit – the antibody can’t effectively neutralize the virus and the virus sneaks by the body’s immune defense system.
Like two hands working together to form a tight grip, monoclonal antibody SC27 attaches to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (purple) using both of its binding domains (orange and yellow). This may explain, in part, the exquisite potency of SC27 and its ability to protect against all tested COVID-19 variants. Credit: Greg Ippolito, Ph.D.
The researchers tested SC27 against 12 viruses, from the original SARS-CoV-2 to currently circulating variants, as well as related SARS-1 and several other coronaviruses found in bats and pangolins. The antibody was effective against all of them in a petri dish and protected mice against both variants tested.
“This makes it broader and more effective than any other monoclonal antibody reported in scientific literature to date and the former FDA-approved cocktails,” says Dr. Ippolito, adding the caveat that SC27 still needs to be tested in human clinical trials.
The team is looking to collaborate with industry to further develop the SC27 monoclonal antibody treatment, which could potentially benefit immunocompromised patients who are unable to get vaccines. It also could serve as an emergency treatment during future outbreaks of new variants or coronaviruses. Next steps would include preclinical studies in larger animal models, including nonhuman primates, which are the gold standard to evaluate how complete immune systems respond to a treatment before safely moving to human clinical trials.
Notably, SC27 was found in individuals following vaccination with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Previously, this type of “class 1/4” antibody – which attaches to two distinct areas or “epitopes” of the spike protein – was only detected following natural infection from SARS-1.
“This is fantastic news that vaccines can prompt the generation of these more robust and effective antibodies,” explains Dr. Ippolito. “It means that future vaccine development can be tailored to generate these antibodies and have a clear metric for measuring which vaccines will be most effective.”
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About Texas Biomed
Texas Biomed is a nonprofit research institute dedicated to protecting the global community from infectious diseases. Through basic research, preclinical testing and applied innovation, we accelerate diagnostics, therapies and vaccines for the world’s deadliest pathogens. Our San Antonio campus hosts high containment laboratories and the Southwest National Primate Research Center. Our scientists collaborate with industry and researchers globally, and have helped deliver the first COVID-19 vaccine, the first Ebola treatment and first Hepatitis C therapy. For more information, visit txbiomed.org.
SAN ANTONIO (March 31, 2023) — Texas Biomed scientists have identified a promising way to help fight tuberculosis (TB), a disease that still kills nearly 2 million people annually. The research focuses on a potential host-directed therapy targeting the immune system to bolster the body’s ability to control the infection, a method shown to improve cancer treatments.
Specifically, the team found that inhibiting a particular enzyme, known as IDO – short for Indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase – helped nonhuman primates completely eliminate active TB infection. Blocking IDO for four weeks in conjunction with antibiotics led to improved health metrics compared with antibiotics alone. The findings were reported in JCI Insight.
Professor Smriti Mehra, PhD
“This is exciting,” says Texas Biomed Professor Smriti Mehra, PhD, who led the study. “We have promising results suggesting an IDO inhibitor could be a host-directed therapy that reduces the length of time and amount of antibiotics that TB patients have to take, especially those with multi-drug resistance.”
Tuberculosis is still one of the leading causes of death worldwide and among the top two global infectious diseases. Current treatments require patients to take dozens of pills every day for months, sometimes up to a year, to control the bacterial infection. Many of those with TB have a more mild, latent form that reactivates years later after exposure to another illness, such as HIV. The dual infection often proves to be a deadly combination.
Physicians and patients need better treatment options. Professor Mehra and her collaborators have been interested in IDO for many years. IDO is an immune system protein known to suppress other immune responses. Cancer researchers have explored blocking it to improve cancer treatment, while Professor Mehra and her collaborators were the first to document its role in TB in 2018.
In tuberculosis, immune cells congregate around the bacteria in circular formations called granulomas like this one. In this fluorescent microscopy image, the immune system protein IDO is shown pink. The researchers hypothesize that IDO prevents other immune cells from entering the granuloma and killing the bacteria. Photo: Texas Biomed
In that paper, they found IDO prevents critical immune cells from killing Mycobacterium tuberculosis(M.tb), the bacteria that causes TB. The bacteria are usually found inside circular structures, called granulomas, in the lung. Granulomas are a congregation of immune cells that surround the bacteria.
The team detected a large amount of IDO present in the granuloma’s intermediate myeloid layer. When they blocked IDO production, it reduced IDO levels in the granuloma and the body was able to kill more bacteria. They hypothesize more immune cells are able to enter the granuloma to do their jobs when there is less IDO present.
The JCI Insight paper took that research a step further to see if inhibiting IDO enhances TB treatment. The team, which included researchers, veterinarians and pathologists from Texas Biomed and Southwest National Primate Research Center, compared how groups of macaques with active TB infection fared without treatment, with antibiotic treatment, and with antibiotic treatment plus the IDO inhibitor. The inhibitor was given for four weeks, while a lower-than-usual dose of antibiotics was given for 12 weeks.
The results showed that the animals given the IDO inhibitor did better than those just with the antibiotic treatment.
From left to right: IDO, expressed in green, is high in lung tissue of macaques with untreated TB (1st panel), and those receiving TB antibiotics (2nd panel). IDO is much lower in lung tissue of animals that received both TB antibiotics and an IDO inhibitor (3rd and 4th panels). Red indicates macrophages, which are other important immune cells. Photo: Texas Biomed
“The animals given the IDO inhibitor cleared TB completely from the lungs, granulomas and other organs,” says Bindu Singh, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow at Texas Biomed and first author of the paper. “Most animals given just antibiotics also controlled the infection well, but still had some bacteria in there.”
Bindu Singh, PhD, is a postdoc in Professor Smriti Mehra’s lab. Photo: Texas Biomed
The research team notes the data were not statistically significant, but it does show potential benefits for clearing infection faster than with antibiotics alone, and could be especially helpful for patients with antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
“Taking antibiotics for months isn’t great for the body, so this is something we are hoping we can advance to reduce the time and high dosage currently required to treat TB,” Dr. Singh says.
There is still much research to be done before moving to human clinical trials, such as clarifying exactly how the IDO inhibitor helps battle TB, how much IDO blocker to give and for how long. The team is also investigating if inhibiting IDO prevents latent TB reactivation in the presence of SIV, the nonhuman primate equivalent of HIV.
“The leading killer of people with HIV is reactivated TB, so if we could reduce TB reactivation levels that would be a very important avenue to explore further,” Professor Mehra says.
SAN ANTONIO(December 19, 2022) – A Sudan ebolavirus vaccine and antibody therapeutic tested at Texas Biomedical Research Institute have been sent to Uganda as part of efforts to control the outbreak there.
Sudan ebolavirus is one of six known species of Ebola, with a fatality rate ranging between 41% and 100%. While an Ebola vaccine now exists, it is effective against the Zaire species, not the closely related Sudan species currently affecting Uganda. Since the Sudan virus outbreak began in September, at least 142 people have been infected and 55 people have died, including many children.
The World Health Organization and other global entities announced in November they are working with Ugandan officials to distribute Sudan ebolavirus vaccine candidates in clinical trials. One of those candidates, currently being developed by Sabin Vaccine Institute, has been undergoing preclinical testing at Texas Biomed to evaluate safety and efficacy, and an initial shipment of the vaccine is now in Uganda. The Institute has also been subcontracted by Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc. to support the development of its antibody therapeutic, MBP134, which has been deployed to the region to treat infected patients. Development of the vaccine and antibody candidates is currently being funded in whole or in part by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)*.
Cory Hallam, PhD, Vice President for Business Development and Strategic Alliances
Texas Biomed will continue to help advance vaccines and therapies for Sudan ebolavirus. Notably, the Institute has been awarded more than $35 million in subcontracts to run detailed studies required by the FDA to determine if Sudan ebolavirus vaccines and therapies are effective.
“These new multi-year contracts underscore how Texas Biomed is a trusted and valued partner across industry, government and nonprofit sectors all focused on tackling some of the greatest health challenges we face as a global community,” says Cory Hallam, PhD, Texas Biomed’s Vice President for Business Development and Strategic Alliances.
Texas Biomed’s contract research enterprise has tripled in the last three years due in large part to its specialized expertise and facilities.
“There are only a few labs that can perform the regulated and specialized studies required by FDA to support approval of a vaccine or treatment for these types of pathogens,” explains Ricardo Carrion, Jr., PhD, who directs Texas Biomed’s Maximum Containment Contract Research unit.
Dr. Ricardo Carrion, Jr.
Work on these deadly viruses must be carried out in a biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) laboratory, which is the highest, most secure level in which researchers wear full body, pressurized suits. Texas Biomed is home to the nation’s first independently operated BSL-4, which opened in 1999.
The Institute also hosts the Southwest National Primate Research Center, one of seven supported by the federal government in the U.S. Over the past decade, Texas Biomed has worked to establish the animal models required to study these viruses and conduct the studies that provide the foundational information for a vaccine or therapy that may go to FDA for review.
“Our work to characterize and establish relevant models helps the pharmaceutical companies move their vaccines and therapies forward faster, because we’ve done the first part for them, providing the baseline information about the virus in the animal models,” says Texas Biomed Staff Scientist Kendra Alfson, PhD, who is first author of the paper describing the Sudan ebolavirus animal model.
Staff Scientist Kendra Alfson, PhD
Studying vaccines and therapies for such deadly pathogens presents challenges in humans. While a vaccine or therapy can be given to people to confirm it is safe, determining effectiveness requires exposure to the virus. Deliberately exposing people would be unethical, and outbreaks are sporadic and limited in size. Therefore, in-depth studies in nonhuman primates are the gold standard to evaluate how a full body and immune system react to a vaccine or therapy and determine the most effective dosages. The FDA can approve new drugs and vaccines using efficacy data from animals in these cases.
In rare instances, like with previous Ebola outbreaks and the ongoing Sudan ebolavirus outbreak, if vaccines have already undergone rigorous efficacy testing in animals and initial safety testing in humans, it is possible to administer experimental vaccines to people before they have received formal approval, and document how well they help control the spread.
Even as this happens, vital details must still be collected from animal models, including specifically defining what biological markers equal protection against the disease after receiving the vaccine, how soon protection kicks in post vaccination, and how long protection lasts.
“Critical information like this can only be gathered in tightly controlled laboratory settings, not from human patients,” explains Dr. Carrion. “We are proud to help contribute this knowledge so our partners can develop effective tools that will protect people from these deadly viruses, especially as outbreaks become more common.”
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*BARDA contracts 75A50122C00061 and 75A50119C00055
About Texas Biomed
Texas Biomed is a nonprofit research institute dedicated to protecting the global community from infectious diseases. Through basic research, preclinical testing and innovative partnerships, we accelerate diagnostics, therapies and vaccines for the world’s deadliest pathogens. Our San Antonio campus hosts high containment laboratories and the Southwest National Primate Research Center. Our scientists collaborate with industry and researchers globally, and have helped deliver the first COVID-19 vaccine, the first Ebola treatment and first Hepatitis C therapy. For more information, go to TxBiomed.org.
The complex will provide brand new indoor/outdoor housing for up to 800 nonhuman primates and advanced veterinary care capabilities.
An architectural rendering of the new Animal Care Complex at Texas Biomed and Southwest National Primate Research Center. Credit: Flad Architects
SAN ANTONIO (December 8, 2021) – Texas Biomedical Research Institute (Texas Biomed) and the Southwest National Primate Research Center (SNPRC) broke ground today on four new buildings that will enable them to continue providing exceptional care for nonhuman primates, play a central role in addressing the nation’s nonhuman primate shortage, and accelerate the Institute’s growth in infectious disease research.
Animal models are a critical resource in the development of diagnostics, therapies and vaccines for infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, HIV, Ebola and tuberculosis, as well as understanding related cancers, diabetes, neurodegeneration and more.
The Animal Care Complex will be built on Texas Biomed’s 200-acre campus, with construction estimated to get underway after the holidays and finish in early 2023. The complex consists of four structures: three large indoor/outdoor housing spaces that can support multiple primate species. The 18,000-square-foot animal care building will feature a top-of-the-line veterinary clinic, pathology labs and a central meeting space for animal care staff.
“First and foremost, this project is about providing the best possible care for our animals,” says Deepak Kaushal, PhD, Director of the SNPRC. “Our talented and compassionate team provide exceptional care to our 2,500 primates, and these new facilities will ensure they can continue to do that well into the future.”
Texas Biomed and SNPRC are committed to exceeding the highest standards of care for laboratory animals, and are fully accredited by the international agency AAALAC. The new care complex will support those efforts through modernized facilities and structures designed to withstand extreme weather events, which are projected to occur more frequently as the climate changes.
The care complex will also enable SNPRC to strategically expand its critical role supporting biomedical research. The ongoing national primate shortage was exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, with not enough animals available for required pre-clinical tests of vaccines and treatments before moving into human clinical trials.
“Nonhuman primates are the unsung heroes of biomedical research and are essential to helping us eradicate infectious diseases here in San Antonio and around the world,” says Larry Schlesinger, MD, President and CEO of Texas Biomed. “This complex will enable us to strategically grow our colony and help ensure the nation is better prepared for future pandemics.”
This is the first major construction project as part of Texas Biomed’s 10-year Strategic Plan launched in 2019. A $4 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration kick-started fundraising efforts for the more than $15 million project, and generous donor support and institutional funds are covering the remaining costs.
San Antonio City Councilwoman Melissa Havrda notes that the growth for Texas Biomed in the next 10 years will be a win-win for her district and the overall region.
“Texas Biomed is a critical piece of the city’s public health infrastructure and an important economic development partner in my district,” she says. “Studies show Texas Biomed will contribute $3 billion to our region’s economy once this decade of growth culminates. That impact will be phenomenal.”
Breaking ground on the new Animal Care Complex (from left to right): Cory Hallam, PhD, Texas Biomed VP, Business Development and Strategic Alliances; Walter Embrey, Texas Biomed Board of Trustees Member and Facilities Committee Chair; Deepak Kaushal, PhD, Director, Southwest National Primate Research Center; Akudo Anyanwu, MD, Texas Biomed VP, Development; Joanne Turner, PhD, Texas Biomed Executive VP, Research; Andy Anderson, DVM, Texas Biomed Board of Trustees Vice Chair; Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff; Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda, District 6, City of San Antonio; Andrew Hunt, President, Founder’s Council; Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran, District 3, City of San Antonio; State Representative Steve Allison, District 121, Texas House of Representatives; Matt Majors, MBA, Texas Biomed VP, Operations. Credit: Texas Biomed
Flad Architects is the architectural design firm working closely with the SNPRC team to ensure all facilities are maximized for functionality, safety and care, with a close eye to details to make life better for animals and their caretakers.
SNPRC is one of seven National Primate Research Centers and houses several species of nonhuman primates with unique features: the largest colony of baboons in the U.S., which has lived at Texas Biomed for eight generations; the largest group of geriatric marmosets in the U.S., which help study disease and aging; and rhesus macaques bred to be free of specific pathogens, which are integral to the study of HIV, TB, COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.
Alternative methods for studying diseases and treatments are still under development and there is no replacement for evaluating how an entire body will respond to a medicine or vaccine. Studies carefully move through a process and only proceed to primates if showing promise in cells and smaller animals. The fewest possible animals are used and humanely treated throughout.
“We all have great respect for these animals and the detailed insights they can provide to improve animal and human health,” Dr. Kaushal explains. “Our top priority is taking care of them and we are excited for this project to get underway.”
Significant medical advancements that have come from working with SNPRC primates include: the neonatal high frequency ventilator, hepatitis B vaccine, hepatitis C cure and Ebola virus treatment and vaccine. COVID-19 therapeutics and vaccines were shown to be safe and effective through studies at SNPRC before moving into human clinical trials.
Dr. Schlesinger adds, “Alongside our scientists, the animals at SNPRC are saving lives, and it is our honor and privilege to care for them as they provide so much for human health.”
The Southwest National Primate Research Center is also supported by the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs, National Institutes of Health through the grant P51 OD011133.
About the Southwest National Primate Research Center at Texas Biomed
Texas Biomed is one of the world’s leading independent biomedical research institutions dedicated to advancing health worldwide through innovative biomedical research focused on protecting the global community from the threats of infectious diseases. The Institute is home to the Southwest National Primate Research Center (SNPRC) and provides broad services in primate research. SNPRC contributes to a national network of National Primate Research Centers (NPRCs) with specialized technologies, capabilities and primate resources, many of which are unique to the SNPRC. The Center also serves investigators around the globe with research and technical procedures for collaborative projects. For more information on Texas Biomed, go to www.TxBiomed.org or for more information on SNPRC, visit www.SNPRC.org.
Erratic, involuntary movements often emerge as a side effect of the primary medication used to treat Parkinson’s disease. Now, Texas Biomed researchers and their collaborators have shown a compound can substantially reduce those movements in animal studies.
SAN ANTONIO (December 1, 2021) – A new study from Texas Biomedical Research Institute (Texas Biomed) and collaborators has identified a promising drug candidate to minimize uncontrolled, erratic muscle movements, called dyskinesia, associated with Parkinson’s disease.
The small molecule, called PD13R, reduced dyskinesia by more than 85% in the marmoset animal model of Parkinson’s disease. And, the animals got much better sleep taking this compound compared to another drug often prescribed for dyskinesia. The results were published in the journal Experimental Neurology.
Dyskinesia is a common side effect in patients with Parkinson’s disease. It is not a symptom of the disease itself, but typically emerges about five years into taking levodopa, the leading medication used to restore balance, reduce shaking and manage other motor control issues patients experience.
“Levodopa is amazing, it works like magic, but it has side effects. If we can eliminate these side effects, it could change the life of patients with Parkinson’s,” says Marcel Daadi, PhD, an associate professor at Texas Biomed and lead paper author.
The small molecule PD13R (magenta) interacting with the dopamine D3 (grey) and D2 (purple) receptors cryo-EM structures, as predicted by RhodiumTM. Credit: SwRI
Designing drugs for Parkinson’s and its side effects is notoriously difficult. This is in part due to the progressive nature of the disease as neurons deteriorate, and because it involves the neurotransmitter dopamine. There are five types of dopamine receptors, all with different functions, yet very similar structures. Finding a compound that only interacts with the desired receptor is a major challenge.
To try to identify a compound that only binds to dopamine receptor #3 (D3), Daadi teamed up with Southwest Research Institute. SwRI’s drug discovery software RhodiumTM identified PD13R as a likely candidate and predicted how it would bind to D3. Daadi reached out to medicinal chemists at Temple University to synthesize the compound, who are currently working on this class of compounds for their antipsychotic properties.
Daadi and his team at Texas Biomed explored how well the compound targeted the D3 receptor compared to the other dopamine receptors in cell culture tests. They found it had a 1,486-times higher selectivity for D3 than for D2, which is the most similar in structure.
The team then administered PD13R to the marmoset animal model of Parkinson’s. Like human patients, the nonhuman primates developed dyskinesia after receiving levodopa. When treated with PD13R, dyskinesia dropped dramatically.
“We were very excited to see the robust antidyskinetic effect of the drug,” Daadi explains.
The animals wore activity monitors, and with PD13R, their activity was low at night, when they normally sleep. In contrast, when given a different drug currently on the market for dyskinesia, their nighttime activity was significantly high, suggesting that PD13R may be a good treatment option without this side effect.
Daadi and his team plan to continue with safety and efficacy studies required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before human clinical trials can begin. “I am very hopeful we can move this into Phase 1 clinical trials within two years,” Daadi says.
Professor Marcel Daadi (third from left) and members of his lab. Credit: Texas Biomed
Funding Acknowledgements:
This investigation used resources that were supported by the Southwest National Primate Research Center grant P51 OD011133 from the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs, National Institutes of Health. This work was supported by the Worth Family Fund, The Perry and Ruby Stevens Charitable Foundation, The Robert J. Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation, The Marmion Family Fund, The William and Ella Owens Medical Research Foundation, the National Institute on Aging R56 AG059284.
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About the Southwest National Primate Research Center at Texas Biomed
Texas Biomed is one of the world’s leading independent biomedical research institutions dedicated to advancing health worldwide through innovative biomedical research focused on protecting the global community from the threats of infectious diseases. The Institute is home to the Southwest National Primate Research Center (SNPRC) and provides broad services in primate research. SNPRC contributes to a national network of National Primate Research Centers (NPRCs) with specialized technologies, capabilities and primate resources, many of which are unique to the SNPRC. The Center also serves investigators around the globe with research and technical procedures for collaborative projects. For more information on Texas Biomed, go to www.TxBiomed.org or for more information on SNPRC, visit www.SNPRC.org.
