Pathogen-free rhesus monkey colony to support HIV/AIDS and COVID research
Official title: Establishment of a SPF Rhesus Macaque Colony
Funded at Texas Biomedical Research Institute · NIH-11325733 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project keeps and breeds pathogen-free rhesus monkeys so scientists can develop better vaccines and treatments for people with HIV/AIDS and COVID-19.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Texas Biomedical Research Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Antonio, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2000 |
| Project end | January 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $2,417,980 |
| NIH project number | 5U42OD010442-25 |
| Project ID | NIH-11325733 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
There is no direct patient enrollment; the work is meant to benefit people living with HIV/AIDS, those at risk for HIV, and people affected by COVID-19 through better therapies developed using these animal models.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with conditions unrelated to infectious diseases or those seeking immediate clinical treatment would not directly benefit from this breeding and colony-maintenance program.
What this research studies
From my perspective as a patient, this program maintains a large colony of pathogen-free rhesus macaques at Texas Biomed that researchers use to study HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, and related infections. The center breeds, cares for, and supplies animals and biological samples to investigators doing vaccine, cure, pathogenesis, and therapy testing. Researchers use these animals for preclinical experiments that help decide which approaches move into human trials. The resource supports both in-house scientists and external investigators who either work on-site or obtain animals or samples.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this resource can speed up the development and preclinical testing of vaccines, cures, and therapies for HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, and related infections.
How similar studies have gone: Yes — nonhuman primate models like SPF rhesus macaques have a long history of helping to develop and test vaccines and therapies for HIV and COVID-19.
Where this research is happening
-
Texas Biomedical Research Institute
San Antonio, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kaushal, Deepak — Texas Biomedical Research Institute
- Study coordinator: Kaushal, Deepak
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.