R -- Tissue-Based Small Animal Model for HIV Drug Discovery

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), plans to negotiate a multi-year contract with the J. Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology to continue establishing a small-animal model for evaluating potential HIV-1 therapeutics. This ongoing work involves the use of an immunodeficient mouse model engrafted with human fetal thymus and liver tissue (SCID-hu Thy/Liv) and infected with well-characterized HIV-1 isolates. Gladstone’s expertise includes assessing the efficacy and toxicity of HIV-1 therapeutic candidates, both individually and in combination, using this validated in vivo system. They hold a license from Stanford University, which owns the patent rights to the SCID-hu Thy/Liv model, enabling them to evaluate therapeutics emerging from the private sector. The contract builds on prior efforts under contract number N01-AI-05418 and is justified under specific statutory authorities permitting negotiation without full competition. The key contact for this contract is Jacqueline D. Holden, Chief of the NICHD Contracts Management Branch. The solicitation references a request for proposal issued in November 2005 and centers on advancing drug discovery through a tissue-based small animal model specifically designed for HIV research. This agreement aims to leverage Gladstone’s unique capabilities to accelerate the development of effective and safe HIV therapeutic agents.