Research Support Core

The Research Support Core (RSC) supports colony surveillance and nonhuman primate research for investigators at the SNPRC and Texas Biomedical Research Institute, as well as scientists from around the country with these core services:

Laboratory Support

The RSC provides an array of services to support investigator needs including:

• NHP blood, bodily fluid and tissue processing, including PBMC purification, BAL processing, urine/feces/saliva processing, and other services.
• Nucleic acid extraction and TaqMan quantitative RT-PCR and PCR analysis
• Vaccine and test article preparation/validation, with delivery to animal areas.
• Infectious inoculum preparation (BSL2 level pathogens)
• Bacterial culture
• ELISA technology from both kits and built assays.
• Other requests as needed

Flow Cytometry

The core provides services for the quantification of multiple cytokines, chemokines and antibodies in biological fluids derived from nonhuman primates. The Luminex system is a bench-top flow cytometer with two low-power laser beams that allows for the simultaneous detection of up to 100 tests in a single sample.

Serological Surveillance

The RSC provides ELISA and Luminex technology to screen several pathogenic agents for colony health surveillance. This includes a Luminex panel for the detection of NHP antibodies against SIV, SRV, STLV, HB, Measles, and COVID (including SAR-CoV-2), as well as against Chagas and TB.