# Downstream sample analyses from 3 NHP species infected with SARS-CoV-2.

> **NIH NIH P01** · TEXAS BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE · 2020 · $1,179,314

## Abstract

Over the last three months, COVID-19 has emerged as a major pandemic. Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the
causative agent of COVID-19, has remarkable infectiousness and pathogenicity, particularly in the elderly
and people with immunocompromising conditions.1 The CDC have reported that 8 out of 10 deaths
reported in the US related to COVID-19 are in adults 65 years and older. Similar to many other pulmonary
infectious diseases, the elderly can present with atypical symptoms and initial signs of SARS-CoV-2
infection may be missed resulting in ongoing infection transmission.
Texas Biomed recently infected two different age groups of common marmoset, rhesus macaque and
baboon with SARS-CoV-2. Each species had differing infection outcomes. Extensive sample collection
occurred throughout the 14-day study, providing an array of banked samples from 3 species of NHP, two
age groups, and infected and non infected controls. We propose five Aims using banked samples, to
increase our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the host response in old age. Aim 1 will
investigate whether the pulmonary environment during SARS-CoV-2 infection results in oxidation of host
innate molecules and a possible link to COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (CARDS). Aim 2
will determine the phenotype and function of resident and infiltrating innate immune cells during SARS-
CoV-2 infection with a focus on the initiation and maintenance of a cytokine storm. Aim 3 will dissect the T
and B cell response in lung and lymph nodes during early SARS-CoV-2 infection that may lead to relevant
information about long term protective immunity. Aim 4 will focus on the virus during infection, determining
whether viral mutations occur and whether they differ between species and age. Aim 5 will support in-
depth analyses of formalin fixed tissues with a goal of viewing SARS-CoV-2 infection beyond the lung and
identifying correlates of infection progression in organs such as the brain, heart and intestine.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10177667
- **Project number:** 3P01AG051428-05S1
- **Recipient organization:** TEXAS BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE
- **Principal Investigator:** JOANNE TURNER
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1,179,314
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2016-03-15 → 2022-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10177667

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10177667, Downstream sample analyses from 3 NHP species infected with SARS-CoV-2. (3P01AG051428-05S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10177667. Licensed CC0.

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