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Principal Investigator: Padmini Salgame
Organization: RUTGERS BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $1,687,027
Funding agency: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
ABSTRACT Animal Models and Related Services (AMRS) Core
The overall goal of Animal Models and Related Services (AMRS) Core 3 is to establish a biocontainment
research support service core devoted to developing animal models of BSL3 pathogens and associated support
services. Core 3 is highly relevant to the basic and translational foci of the research programs at Rutgers. No
animal model perfectly reproduces the response to infection seen in humans. In Core 3, we are therefore
developing different animal models that can be used to address specific aspects related to respiratory pathogen-
induced disease. The newly developed animal models, and their subsequent use by RBL investigators with
AMRS Core support, along with the purchase of additional specialized equipment will support and enhance the
research enterprise of Rutgers investigators exploring various aspects of pathogen infection and transmission,
and host disease pathogenesis. As SARS-CoV-2 transitions from a pandemic virus to an endemic one, new
variants continue to appear with higher transmission rates which appear to correlate with lower pathogenicity.
AIM 1 will develop animal models for investigating transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2. There have been five IAV
pandemics since the 1900s, and there is ongoing concern that the current outbreak of high pathogenic H5N1
avian Influenza virus, which has affected more than 50 million birds so far, could jump to humans and cause a
new pandemic. Animal models will be devloped to study IAV transmission in AIM 2. A subset of individuals has
prolonged complications after COVID-19, which is known as post-acute sequalae of COVID-19 (PASC). In Aim
3, we will develop the hamster model to study PASC. The ferret respiratory tract has several similarities to
humans and ferrets are highly permissive to M. tuberculosis (Mtb) and several human respiratory viruses.
Therefore, we propose in Aim 4 to develop a ferret transmission model and test its suitability for investigating
transmissibility of clinical strains of Mtb and in identifying the genes that Mtb requires to survive the successive
stresses associated with transmission. More than half of the people with microbiologically cured tuberculosis
(TB) exhibit some form of pulmonary impairment after TB (PIAT) affecting long-term respiratory health. In Aim 5,
we will develop a pre-clinical mouse model of pulmonary impairment after TB (PIAT) for evaluating adjunct host
directed therapeutics. Establishment of animal models to test efficacy of newly discovered compounds with anti-
TB activity in vitro would significantly advance the TB drug program. In Aim 6, we will stablish a pre-clinical
murine model for efficacy testing of new TB drug candidates. As each of these six aims are completed, the AMRS
Core’s technical staff will then aid RBL investigators in the performance of these animal models in their own grant
supported research. The personnel, instrumentation and experience acquired achieving these aims will also be
harnessed to develop and support additional animal models as required to address new biothreats, pandemics
or emerging infectious diseases.
Terms: <2019 novel corona virus><2019 novel coronavirus><2019-nCoV><Address><Affect><Airway health><Animal Model><Animal Models and Related Studies><Antitubercular Agents><Antitubercular Drugs><Aves><Avian><BSL-3 facility><BSL3 facility><Birds><COVID-19><COVID-19 transmission><COVID-19 virus><COVID-19 virus transmission><COVID19 virus><CV-19><Chemotherapy Protocol><Chemotherapy Regimen><Chemotherapy-Oncologic Procedure><Clinical><CoV-2><CoV2><Combination Chemotherapy Regimen><Containment><Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019><Cricetinae><Disease><Disease Outbreaks><Disorder><Drugs><Emerging Communicable Diseases><Emerging Infectious Diseases><Equipment><Exhibits><Experimental Models><Ferrets><Genes><Genetic Alteration><Genetic Change><Genetic defect><Goals><Grant><H5N1><H5N1 virus><Hamsters><Hamsters Mammals><Human><Human Resources><Impairment><Individual><Infection><Influenza A H5N1><Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype><Influenza Virus><Intervention Studies><Investigators><Lung><Lung Respiratory System><M tb><M tuberculosis><M tuberculosis infection><M. tb><M. tb infection><M. tuberculosis><M. tuberculosis infection><M.tb infection><M.tuberculosis infection><MTB infection><Manpower><Measures><Medication><Modeling><Modern Man><Mutation><Mycobacterium tuberculosis><Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection><Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection><Outbreaks><PASC><Pathogenesis><Pathogenicity><Performance><Persons><Pharmaceutical Preparations><Post Acute Sequelae of COVID19><Post Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2><Post Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV2><Post Acute Sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2><Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection><Probability><Public Health><Pulmonary Body System><Pulmonary Organ System><Quimioterapia><Regimen><Relapse><Research><Research Personnel><Research Resources><Research Support><Researchers><Resources><Respiratory System><Respiratory Tracts><Respiratory tract structure><SARS corona virus 2><SARS-CO-V2><SARS-COVID-2><SARS-CoV-2><SARS-CoV-2 transmission><SARS-CoV2><SARS-associated corona virus 2><SARS-associated coronavirus 2><SARS-coronavirus-2><SARS-related corona virus 2><SARS-related coronavirus 2><SARSCoV2><Service animal><Service dog><Services><Severe Acute Respiratory Coronavirus 2><Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome CoV 2><Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Corona Virus 2><Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Coronavirus 2><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-associated coronavirus 2><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-related coronavirus 2><Severe acute respiratory syndrome associated corona virus 2><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2><Severe acute respiratory syndrome related corona virus 2><Stress><Symptoms><TB drugs><TB infection><Testing><Therapeutic><Toxic effect><Toxicities><Transmission><Treatment Period><Treatment Protocols><Treatment Regimen><Treatment Schedule><Tuberculosis><Tuberculostatic Agents><Variant><Variation><Workforce Development><Wuhan coronavirus><adverse sequelae of COVID><adverse sequelae of COVID-19><adverse sequelae of coronavirus disease><adverse sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019><anti-TB><anti-TB drugs><anti-tuberculosis><anti-tuberculosis drugs><antiTB><avian influenza H5N1><avian influenza H5N1 virus><bio-threat><biosafety level 3 facility><biothreat><cancer chemotherapy><chronic COVID-19 sequelae><coronavirus disease 2019><coronavirus disease 2019 transmission><coronavirus disease 2019 virus><coronavirus disease 2019 virus transmission><coronavirus disease-19><coronavirus disease-19 virus><coronavirus infectious disease-19><disseminated TB><disseminated tuberculosis><drug candidate><drug/agent><efficacy testing><emergent pandemic><emerging pandemic><experience><genome mutation><hCoV19><improved><in vitro activity><infection due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis><influenzavirus><instrumentation><intervention research><interventional research><interventional study><interventions research><long haul sequelae of COVID-19><long haul sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019><long-term sequelae of COVID-19><long-term sequelae of SARS-CoV-2><long-term sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019><long-term sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2><lung health><model of animal><mouse model><mtb><murine model><nCoV2><new drug treatments><new drugs><new pandemic><new pharmacological therapeutic><new therapeutics><new therapy><next generation therapeutics><novel drug treatments><novel drugs><novel pandemic><novel pharmaco-therapeutic><novel pharmacological therapeutic><novel therapeutics><novel therapy><pandemic><pandemic disease><pandemic virus><pathogen><permissiveness><personnel><post COVID-19 sequelae><post acute sequelae following COVID-19><post-acute sequelae following SARS-CoV-2 infection><post-acute sequelae of COVID-19><post-acute sequelae of acute COVID infection><post-acute sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019><pre-clinical><preclinical><prevent><preventing><programs><pulmonary><pulmonary health><respiratory health><respiratory pathogen><respiratory virus><response><severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 transmission><transmission process><transmitted COVID-19><transmitted SARS-CoV-2><transmitted coronavirus disease 2019><transmitted severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2><treatment days><treatment duration><tuberculosis drugs><tuberculosis infection><tuberculous spondyloarthropathy><viral transmission><virus transmission>