Molecular & Translational Immunotechnology Core

Core E: Molecular and Translational Immunotechnology Core ABSTRACT The Penn CFAR Molecular and Translational Immunotechnology Core (MTIC, Core E) provides Advanced Technology through services, equipment, expertise, consultation, training, and other types of support to catalyze cutting-edge research on the Penn CFAR campus and beyond, to advance immune-focused studies in HIV-1 pathogenesis, vaccines, cellular therapy, cure and other areas of high priority to the national and NIH AIDS research agenda. Under the direction of Drs. Jim Riley (Director) and Nina Luning Prak (Co-Director), the Core ensures that Penn CFAR investigators have access to emerging or highly specialized enabling technologies that lead the research agenda, as well as an array of other services that offer unique methodology, resources or economy of scale. Leveraging an interdisciplinary team of expert immunologists, laboratorians, computational biologists and physician scientists, the MTIC aims to: (1) Develop and perform technologically advanced immunologic assays and sophisticated data analysis services to enable basic and translational investigations in HIV; (2) Provide large-volume, highly purified primary human immune cells of multiple subsets, and quality controlled human sample processing to support research, including complex innovative clinical trials and (3) Provide mentoring, training and outreach to expand and advance the community of HIV investigators. In the current funding cycle, MTIC supported 33 Penn CFAR investigators and 5 non-CFAR Philadelphia AIDS investigators, generated $1,675,000 of chargebacks, supported over 86 NIH-funded applications, and our services have contributed to 165 publications. In the upcoming cycle, we will provide innovative services and products, receiving input on the composition, development, and delivery of these services from Core clients via extensive interactions with the HIV research community through scientific consultations, meetings, and mentoring sessions. In collaboration with the Clinical Core (Core C) and Virus & Reservoirs Technology Core (Core D), MTIC/Core E will provide additional support to the HIV Single Cell Reservoirs & Immunology SWG by expanding our primary cell purification services for latent reservoir studies and integration of immune repertoire profiling with single cell multi-omics and virus evolution studies. Furthermore, with the Clinical Core, Virus & Reservoirs Technology Core and BEAT HIV Delaney Collaboratory, MITC/Core E will contribute products, services and expertise for several large HIV Cure-focused clinical studies that will help lead the field in how to best engage the immune system to promote HIV remission in the absence of ART.