The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation’s medical research agency — making important discoveries that improve health and save lives.
The grant aims to provide continuous support for specific pathogen-free (SPF) macaque colonies that were previously funded under specific Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs), PAR-21-089 and PAR-18-669. These colonies are vital for the study of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), focusing on breeding colonies essential for sustaining SPF macaques for HIV/AIDS research. The emphasis is on maintaining colonies of macaques that are free from certain viruses that could affect the results of HIV/AIDS research or pose a risk to personnel. Additionally, the grant supports the genetic characterization of these macaques, especially in terms of their major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I types, due to the significant impact of MHC class I genotypes on immune responses to Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) and HIV in nonhuman primates and humans, respectively.