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The following DAIDS-sponsored contract resources are available to assist investigators in evaluating novel therapies for effects on various immunologic functions. Therapies can be antimicrobial, antiviral, or immune based in nature.

In Vitro Evaluations

• Potential therapies can be evaluated for effects on immunologic parameters in uninfected and HIV-infected human cells
• Parameters that can be evaluated include proliferation, cytotoxicity, apoptosis, lymphocyte subset analysis, and virus neutralization by antibodies
• Modulation of cytokines or cytokine receptors can be evaluated
• Immunohistochemical assays for cytokines, cytokine receptors, and immunological and virological markers in primary cells and tissues are available

In Vivo Evaluations

• Lentivirus Efficacy Models

  Therapies can be evaluated for effects on certain immunologic parameters as a component of the animal efficacy models available for HIV, SIV, and SHIV.
  
  

• Immunotoxicology Evaluations

  Therapies can be evaluated for immunotoxicity using a standard battery of screening tests to complement the organ histology and clinical chemistry parameters (e.g., WBC differential counts) evaluated as a routine part of systemic toxicity studies. These tests are conducted on cells collected from mice treated with the therapies and include:
  

  • Listeria disease challenge model
  • T and B cell proliferative responses to mitogens
  • T cell proliferative response to allogeneic stimulation
  • T cell-mediated cytotoxicity
  • Natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity
  • IgM and IgG production after KLH immunization
  • Immunophenotyping of splenic lymphocytes by flow cytometry
  • Cytokine production by activated splenic macrophages
  
  In addition, treated animals can be studied for the presence and activity of nine different murine cytokines (e.g., TNF, ILs, INF).

Virus Isolate Reagents

Panels of HIV isolates can be provided to investigators wishing to characterize novel monoclonal antibodies.

Accessing These Resources

• For further information regarding in vitro evaluations please contact Dr. Frosso Voulgaropoulou (phone: 301-451-2704; e-mail: fvoulgaropoulou@niaid.nih.gov).
  
• For further information regarding HIV efficacy model evaluations please contact Dr. Paul Black (phone: 301-402-2970; e-mail: pblack@niaid.nih.gov).
• For further information regarding SIV and SHIV efficacy model evaluations please contact either Dr. Frosso Voulgaropoulou (phone: 301-451-2704; e-mail: fvoulgaropoulou@niaid.nih.gov) or Dr. Kailash Gupta (phone: 301-435-3724; e-mail: kgupta@niaid.nih.gov).
• For further information regarding immunotoxicology evaluations please contact Dr. Michael Ussery (phone: 301-402-0134; email: mussery@niaid.nih.gov).
• For further information regarding virus isolate reagents please contact Dr. James Bradac (phone: 301-402-0121; e-mail: jb68k@nih.gov).