{"386121":{"#nid":"386121","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Novel tool captures total body SIV replication","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA collaborative effort between investigators at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University School of Medicine and Georgia Institute of Technology has led to the development of a non-invasive method to image simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) replication in real-time,\u003Cem\u003E in vivo\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis approach, which is reported March 9 in \u003Cem\u003ENature Methods\u003C\/em\u003E\u2019 Advance Online Publication, is based on immune positron-emission tomography\/computed tomography (PET\/CT) and allows for the capture of viral dynamics of SIV, the animal model of human HIV infection. This novel approach has broad application to the study of immunodeficiency virus pathogenesis and drug and vaccine development, as well as to the potential use with human patients to identify viral reservoirs potentially leading to a cure of HIV\/AIDS.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFrancois Villinger, DVM\/PhD, a researcher in the Yerkes Research Center\u2019s Microbiology and Immunology division, and Philip Santangelo, PhD, a researcher at Emory University and in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, spearheaded the study with their respective teams and collaborators at the Emory School of Medicine. Using the nonhuman primate model of human HIV infection, their approach uncovered novel, previously unappreciated sites of viral replication, such as in nasal tissue and the reproductive organs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition, the methodology was able to capture the previously unappreciated wide variation in viral replication levels within select organs, including sections of the gastrointestinal tract, whether or not the subject was taking antiretroviral therapy (ART). Finally, the methodology allows for repeat analysis of the viral dynamics, for example during acute infection, during ART and upon cessation of ART.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBefore we can hope to eliminate reservoirs of infected HIV cells, we must first identify tissue sites that can possibly serve as these viral reservoirs,\u201d said Villinger. \u201cWith this new imaging method, we believe we can now do this more effectively in our animal models and that this strategy can translate these non-invasive techniques into investigating the eradication of HIV infection and targeting of virus reservoirs in humans,\u201d he continued.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cUse of the technique could lead to a better understanding of viral dynamics in the body, which could help target new generations of therapeutics and diagnostics,\u201d added Santangelo. \u201cThis could help us find the regions where the virus is replicating and allow us to focus molecular diagnostics on the areas that are really important.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe imaging tools developed in this study could also have potential applications with other pathogens and disease states, helping researchers understand where the infectious agents reside and how they respond to therapy. The researchers are developing new imaging probes for applying the same technology in humans in the near future.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECoulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/strong\u003E: The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University is the largest biomedical engineering department in the United States, with 38 faculty, 1,400 undergraduate students and 200 graduate students. Operated in a partnership between a leading public engineering school and a highly respected private medical school, the Coulter Department\u2019s graduate program is ranked second in the nation by \u003Cem\u003EU.S. News \u0026amp; World Report\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EYerkes National Primate Research Center\u003C\/strong\u003E: Established in 1930, the Yerkes National Primate Research Center paved the way for what has become the National Institutes of Health-funded National Primate Research Center (NPRC) program. For more than eight decades, the Yerkes Research Center has been dedicated to conducting essential basic science and translational research to advance scientific understanding and to improve human health and well-being. Today, the Yerkes Research Center is one of only eight NPRCs. The center provides leadership, training and resources to foster scientific creativity, collaboration and discoveries, and research at the center is grounded in scientific integrity, expert knowledge, respect for colleagues, an open exchange of ideas and compassionate, quality animal care.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the fields of microbiology and immunology, infectious diseases, pharmacology and drug discovery, transplantation, neurologic and psychiatric diseases, as well as behavioral, cognitive and developmental neuroscience, Yerkes scientists use innovative experimental models and cutting-edge technologies to explore and test transformative concepts aimed at: preventing and treating viral diseases such as AIDS; designing novel vaccines for infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis; enhancing the potential of organ transplantation and regenerative medicine; discovering new drugs and drug classes through high-throughput screening; defining the basic neurobiology and genetics of social behavior and developing new therapies for disorders such as autism and drug addiction; understanding the biology of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer\u2019s and Parkinson\u2019s diseases; and advancing knowledge about the evolutionary links between biology and behavior.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E177 North Avenue\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30332-0181\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contacts\u003C\/strong\u003E: Georgia Tech \u2013 John Toon (404-894-6986) (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E) or Emory University \u2013 Lisa Newbern (404-727-7709) (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:lisa.newbern@emory.edu\u0022\u003Elisa.newbern@emory.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: Lisa Newbern, Emory University\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA collaborative effort between investigators at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University School of Medicine and Georgia Institute of Technology has led to the development of a non-invasive method to image simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) replication in real-time, in vivo.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new collaboration has led to the development of a non-invasive method to image simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) replication in real-time, in vivo."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2015-03-09 17:04:21","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:01:54","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-03-09T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2015-03-09T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"386091":{"id":"386091","type":"image","title":"PET-CT Images","body":null,"created":"1449246275","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:24:35","changed":"1475894349","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:39:09","alt":"PET-CT Images","file":{"fid":"75420","name":"gi-tract.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/gi-tract.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/gi-tract.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":249185,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/gi-tract.jpg?itok=tqR11oGB"}}},"media_ids":["386091"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"13431","name":"HIV"},{"id":"13850","name":"Philip Santangelo"},{"id":"170795","name":"simian immunodeficiency virus"},{"id":"169248","name":"SIV"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}