Animal Biohazard Core

 The overall goal of the Einstein-Montefiore CFAR Biohazard Animal Core is to enable Einstein investigators, through the provision of a safe and effective facility and a highly trained support staff, to apply the animal modeling approach to pathogen research with HIV and AIDS-related opportunistic pathogens that requires bio-containment. 

Core Mission  

• To provide a biohazard containment laboratory that is outfitted with state-of-the-art apparatus and equipment for safe, efficient, and in-depth analysis of Biosafety-Level-2/3 (BSL2/3) pathogens using appropriate animal models.                                                 
• To provide assistance for researchers in the design of experiments involving in vivo modeling of BSL2/3 pathogens, in the choice of suitable mouse strains (including supplying specialized transgenic and knockout mice), in carrying out experimental procedures, in sample collection and processing, as well as in data interpretation.  
• To enable CFAR investigators, particularly those inexperienced in animal studies, to extend their research programs to include in vivo 
  modeling of infection with HIV and AIDS-associated pathogens. 

Core Facilities 

• BSL3-level containment for housing infected mice
• BSL3-containment aerosolization infection units
• Animal Behavioral Study Facility
• In Vivo Bioluminescent and Fluorescent Imaging Facility

Core Services 

• Technical support for animal modeling of infection with HIV and HIV-related pathogens.
• Infection of mice by aerogenic challenge with Mtb including MDR and XDR Mtb isolates.
• Infection of mice by intra-cranial inoculation
• Transgenic and humanized mouse models to study HIV infection

Core Training Programs 

• Performance of animal procedures under appropriate biohazard containment.
• Administration of pharmacological or biological agents via various routes.
• Necropsy and dissection of mice to harvest infected tissues.
• Tissue preparation methods for immunological, pathological and molecular analysis

 Charge-back fees 

• Infection of mice by aerogenic challenge: Technician time and supplies, $50 per hour;  
• Infection of mice by intra-cranial inoculation: Technician time and supplies: $30 per hour;  
• Humanized mice: Thy/Liv-SCID-hu mice, $200 each; HSC-NSG mice, $100 each  
• Specialty Animal strains: NOD/SCID/IL2R (NSG) knockout mice: $40 each, Rag2^-/- gc^-/- mice: $60 each. 

Recent Core Publications

Sweeney KA, Dao DN, Goldberg MF, Hsu T, Venkataswamy MM, Henao-Tamayo M, Ordway D, Sellers RS, Jain P, Chen B, Chen M, Kim J, Lukose R, Chan J, Orme IM, Porcelli SA, Jacobs WR Jr. 2011. A recombinant Mycobacterium smegmatis induces potent bactericidal immunity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Nat Med. 17:1261-8.PMCID:3250071. 

Venkataswamy MM, Goldberg MF, Baena A, Chan J, Jacobs WR Jr, Porcelli SA. 2012. In vitro culture medium influences the vaccine efficacy of Mycobacterium bovis BCG. Vaccine 30:1038-49. PMID: 22189700; PMCID:3269512.

Prados-Rosales R, Baena A, Martinez LR, Luque-Garcia J, Kalscheuer R, Veeraraghavan U, Camara C, Nosanchuk JD, Besra GS, Chen B, Jimenez J, Glatman-Freedman A, Jacobs WR Jr, Porcelli SA, Casadevall A. 2011. Mycobacteria release active membrane vesicles that modulate immune responses in a TLR2-dependent manner in mice. J Clin Invest. 121:1471-83. PMCID: PMC3069770.

Sango K, Joseph A, Patel M, Osiecki K, Dutta M, Goldstein H. 2010. Highly active antiretroviral therapy potently suppresses HIV infection in humanized Rag2-/-gc-/- mice. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 26:735-46. PMCID:2932557

Joseph A, Zheng JH, Chen K, Dutta M, Chen C, Stiegler G, Kunert R, Follenzi A, Goldstein H. 2010. Inhibition of in vivo HIV infection in humanized mice by gene therapy of human hematopoietic stem cells with a lentiviral vector encoding a broadly neutralizing anti-HIV antibody. J Virol. 84:6645-53. PMCID:2903239.