Established Technologies

Facilities and Equipment:

• State of the art Operating Suites
• Digital Fluoroscopy
• Digital Radiology

Services:

• Surgical Support:
  
  
  
  • Protocol development
  • Patient prep
  • Aseptic Technique Training



• Surgical:
  
  
  
  • Large animal thoracic surgery
  
  
  • Large animal abdominal surgery
  
  
  • Large animal neurosurgery
  
  
  • Large animal orthopedics



• Digital Radiographic Procedures:
  
  
  
  • Dye Studies
  
  
  • Myelogram
  
  
  • GI Series

In addition to direct surgical support, DVR can provide services such as: tissue/organ harvests, tail vein injections, blood collection, endotracheal intubation, catheter placement, data collection, image processing, x-rays, fluoroscopy, laser Doppler, and ultrasound.
Animal Models supported by the core:

• Dogs – Myocardial infarction, MI/reperfusion, Sepsis, Infectious Diseases, Bone Marrow Harvest/Aspirates, Hepatic and Splenic Aspirates, Reproductive Health (Ovariohysterectomy, Neuter), Tracheostomy, Vascular Catheter Placement, Urinary Catheter Placement
• Pigs – Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Model and Repair with Stents, Bladder Cancer Infusion Model, Vascular Access Catheterization
• Nonhuman Primates – Vascular Access Catheterization, Vascular Access Ports, Fetal Surgery, Telemetry Implants, Lumbar Ports, Orthopedic Repair (Pins and Plates), Lymph Node Biopsy, Bone Marrow Harvest/Aspirates, Cesarean Section, Reproductive Issues (Hysterectomy, Castration, Vasectomy), Hepatic and Splenic Aspirates, Splenectomy, Hernia Repair, Neurosurgery (Catheters placed into the 3rd and 4th Ventricles, Ommaya Reservoirs, Subarachnoid Catheters, Placement of Probes in the Brain, Microdialysis, CSF Collection), Dental Health (extractions), Endoscopy, Rectal Biopsies, Radioisotope Placement and Imaging,
• Rabbits – Vascular Access Catheters, Liver Tumor Model, Embolization Model

The NIA Nonhuman Primate (NHP) Core Facility maintains a large colony of aging rhesus macaques at the National Institutes of Health Animal Center. The Core program was established in 2012 to support the experimental goals of intramural investigators and extramural collaborators.

Contact Details:
Facility Head: Julie Mattison, Ph.D.
Phone: 301-435-7637
Email: Julie.mattison@nih.gov
Location: NIH Animal Center, Poolesville, MD

Our Mission:
The NHP Core’s mission is to offer research services supporting multi-disciplinary translational aging projects. Working with investigators, we develop experimental protocols that can be carried out using monkeys. We conduct the in vivo experiments with the highest level of precision, offering exceptional technical skills, data collection and organization, and record keeping.
About Us
For over 30 years the NIA IRP has been conducting a longitudinal study of calorie restriction in rhesus monkeys. As a result, we have extensive experience collecting a wide range of nonhuman primate physiological and behavioral data.
Rhesus monkeys have an average lifespan of 27 years in captivity and can live to be 40 years of age. We have 100+ male and female rhesus monkeys from 3-30 years old available for short-term intervention studies and experiments to evaluate putative biomarkers of aging. We also have an extensive tissue bank readily available for requests.
Established Technologies:
• Imaging Services: Ultrasound, echocardiogram (2D & 3D imaging), Doppler, EKG, Digital Radiography, Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DEXA)
• Glucose Tolerance Testing
• Piccolo Xpress Chemistry
• Nutritional Data Collection
• Pharmacodynamics/Pharmacokinetics

Examples include:
 Intervention Studies (e.g., Dietary, Drug, Exercise)
 Identifying Novel Models of Human Disease
 Pharmacodynamics/Pharmacokinetics
 Proof of Concept
Note: We are not limited to these types of studies and welcome opportunities to grow our program.

Recent publications made possible by the NHP Core
1 Walker EM, et al. Dysregulation of IL-17/IL-22 effector functions in blood and gut mucosal Gamma Delta T cells correlates with increase in circulating leaky gut and inflammatory markers during cART-treated chronic SIV infection in macaques. Front Immunol. 2021 Feb 25; doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.647398.
2 Stonebarger GA, et al. Amyloidosis increase is not attenuated by long-term calorie restriction or related to neuron density in the prefrontal cortex of extremely aged rhesus macaques. Geroscience. 2020 Dec; 42:1733-1749. doi: 10.1007/s11357-020-00259-0..
3 Yen K, et al. The mitochondrial derived peptide humanin is a regulator of lifespan and healthspan. Aging. 2020 Jun 23;12:11185-11199. doi: 10.18632/aging.103534.
4 Hu Q, et al. Increased drp1 acetylation by lipid overload induces cardiomyocyte death and heart dysfunction. Circ Res. 2020 Feb 14;126:456-470. doi: 10.1161/circresaha.119.315252.
5 Aon MA, et al. Untangling determinants of enhanced health and lifespan through a multi-omics approach in mice. Cell Metab. 2020 Jul 7;32:100-116.e104. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2020.04.018.
6 Tosh DK, et al. Design and in vivo characterization of a(1) adenosine receptor agonists in the native ribose and conformationally constrained (n)-methanocarba series. J Med Chem. 2019 Feb 14;62:1502-1522. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b01662.
7 Li Y, et al. Pharmacokinetics of exenatide in nonhuman primates following its administration in the form of sustained-release pt320 and bydureon. Sci Rep. 2019 Nov 20;9:17208. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-53356-2.
8 Khayrullin A, et al. Very long-chain c24:1 ceramide is increased in serum extracellular vesicles with aging and can induce senescence in bone-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Cells. 2019 Jan 10;8. doi: 10.3390/cells8010037.
9 Demarest TG, et al. Assessment of nad(+)metabolism in human cell cultures, erythrocytes, cerebrospinal fluid and primate skeletal muscle. Anal Biochem. 2019 May 1;572:1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ab.2019.02.019.
10 Bodogai M, et al. Commensal bacteria contribute to insulin resistance in aging by activating innate b1a cells. Sci Transl Med. 2018 Nov 14;10. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aat4271.
11 Abdelmohsen K, et al. Circular rnas in monkey muscle: Age-dependent changes. Aging. 2015 Nov;7:903-910. doi: 10.18632/aging.100834.

Established Technologies

As the central NIH laboratory animal support program, DVR serves NIH intramural investigators by providing a full range of essential and specialized veterinary services. In addition, DVR professional staff is available for consultation on all aspects of laboratory animal medicine and to participate in collaborative research:

• Clinical care
• Diagnostics
• Facility management
• Genetic monitoring
• Health surveillance
• Husbandry
• Intensive care
• Laboratory animal behavior support and environmental enrichment
• Nutrition
• Pharmacy
• Phenotyping mouse models
• Procurement
• Quarantine/Conditioning
• Radiology
• Surgery
• Transportation
• Veterinary Technical Support

Learn more about our divisions specializing in:

• Animal Surgery
• Diagnostics and Pathology Service
• Laboratory animal behavior support services

Specialized services: https://crex.nih.gov/pages/cores_animal_resources

DVR manages the majority of animal facility space at the NIH. With capabilities in conventional, SPF, or hazard containment environments, DVR can accommodate virtually any animal species required in biomedical research. All programs and facilities are AAALAC accredited.

A full complement of professional, technical, and support staff are dedicated to the delivery of quality veterinary and research support services. Our professional staff is comprised of veterinarians, most of whom are Diplomates of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine or the American College of Veterinary pathologists. Others have advanced degrees in disciplines such as behavior, genetics, immunology, microbiology, pathology, pharmacology, and animal nutrition. Our technical support staff is comprised of animal care personnel, behavior technicians, biology laboratory technicians, cagewash personnel, enrichment technicians, motor vehicle operators and veterinary technicians. The varied backgrounds of the DVR staff provide a wide range of expertise to NIH researchers.

Established Technologies

The Pathology Service offers a Mouse Phenotyping Service with comprehensive pathologic analysis for genetically engineered mice. The Service provides standardized gross and histopathologic analyses, including serum chemistries and hematology. The workup is designed to evaluate the expected and unexpected phenotypes of the gene manipulations. Analysis is recommended to be performed on age-matched mice to include wild type, homozygote and heterozygote mice. This service is offered by a fee for service mechanism and the current charge is $515/mouse.

The Pathology Service, Division of Veterinary Resources, ORS provides transmission electron microscopic analysis of diagnostic case materials originating from the Pathology Diagnostic Service. EM services are also provided to intramural research scientists on a time available basis. Inquiries may be made to Ms. Patricia Zerfas at 301-496-4464 or by email at zerfasp@ors.od.nih.gov.

The Pathology Service, Division of Veterinary Resources, ORS offers collaborative research pathology support on a time available basis.

User Guidelines

Preliminary and final pathology reports are provided to the principal investigator, institute veterinarian and facility veterinarian.

A pathology submission form should be completed which is available online at http://dvrapps.ors.od.nih.gov/DVR20/SubmissionForms.aspx

A typical research question might investigate the function or regulation of a zebrafish gene and/or its ortholog from humans or another species. We are also happy to offer consultation for any other zebrafish-related projects you may be considering. The core is equipped to assist with the following methodologies:

Gene expression and regulation studies

• In situ hybridization to characterize developmental expression patterns of zebrafish genes
• Zebrafish nucleic acid collection for downstream genomic and molecular applications

Gain of gene function studies

• In vitro RNA synthesis
• RNA and DNA microinjection
• Transgenic animal production*

Loss of gene function studies

• Design and microinjection of antisense morpholino oligonucleotides for transient loss of function
• Design, synthesis and microinjection of TALE nucleases or CRISPR-Cas9 reagents to generate germ-line genetic mutants*

Other methodologies

• Cryopreservation of transgenic and mutant zebrafish lines
• Importation of existing zebrafish lines
• Characterization of phenotypes by time-lapse photography

User Guidelines

The NICHD Zebrafish Core is open to all NIH intramural researchers. Shorter projects requiring only a single procedure might be performed exclusively by the core’s staff. However, the core favors a team-based approach for more involved projects. The core will provide training, access to equipment and standard reagents as well as quality-control feedback to scientists from the recipient laboratories, who will independently perform key parts of the needed experiments.

The NICHD Zebrafish Core has a small budget for minimal basic operations. For this reason, charges must be made to laboratories using the core. These charges are in proportion to the resources and amount of time needed to access animals and equipment. Please contact Benjamin Feldman for a schedule of fees.

Official authorization and training is required for users wishing to handle zebrafish over three days old.