The overall goal of the Animal Exposure and Assessment Core is to provide support to investigators studying the impact of oxidant air pollutants on allergic airways disease in infant rhesus monkeys. The Core is housed in the Exposure Facility at the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC). Our Program Project team has recently established a non-human primate model of allergic airways disease that closely matches human infant allergic airways disease. Our model is generated in rhesus monkeys using a known human allergen, the house dust mite (HDM;Dermatophagoides famiae). We have found that ozone (O3) co-exposure markedly enhances the disease. The Exposure Facility at the CNPRC has well-established facilities for assessing all aspects of airways reactivity, immune response, and exposure to allergens and oxidant gases with validated exposure conditions, and it has a complete pulmonary function testing unit. Specifically, this Core will: 1. Provide accurate and carefully controlled exposures of animals or in vitro preparations to selected types and concentrations of air pollutants. 2. Develop methods of inhalation exposure and atmosphere characterization. 3. Coordinate the purchase, health services, and care of experimental animals. 4. Provide logistical and technical support to ensure the correct implementation of experimental regimens. 5. Prepare HDM allergen for use in sensitization and challenge of infant rhesus monkeys. 6. Sensitize infant rhesus monkeys to HDM allergen using a published protocol developed by our group. 7. Verify sensitization to HDM allergen using skin prick tests. 8. Provide researchers with infant rhesus monkeys with carefully defined allergic airways disease using carefully controlled and validated exposure conditions for oxidant gases and HDM allergen. 9. Provide carefully documented status of airway responsiveness and lung mechanics and volumes in infant rhesus monkeys. 10. Collate all exposure, sensitization, and pulmonary function data and provide this to the experimental units. 11. Coordinate the acquisition of tissues at necropsy and maintain the collection archive and sample custody and storage log.
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