Biomarkers & Advanced Technologies Core Joan Berman, PhD Director (Einstein)Professor of Pathology, and Microbiology and Immunology; Irving D. Karpas Chair in Medicine joan.berman@einsteinmed.edu 718.430.2587 Steven Almo, PhD Director (Einstein)Chair and Professor of Biochemistry; Wollowick Family Foundation Chair in Immunology steve.almo@einsteinmed.edu 718.430.2746 James Kreuger, MD, PhD Co-Director (Rockefeller)D. Martin Carter Professor in Clinical Investigation; Co-Director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Science kruegej@rockefeller.edu 212.327.7730 To help meet the United States government goal of Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE), the Einstein-Rockefeller-CUNY Center for AIDS Research (ERC-CFAR) Biomarker and Advanced Technology Core (BATC) provides state-of-the-art technologies, services and consultations to enhance our understanding of HIV biology and mechanisms and accelerate the development of novel approaches for HIV prevention and cure. The BATC supports basic, translational, clinical and implementation science investigators developing and evaluating new modalities to treat and prevent HIV infection, including strategies to improve the effectiveness of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and treatment as prevention (TasP). The BATC infrastructure supports established and early stage HIV/AIDS researchers as well as new investigators who are expanding their research to include HIV/AIDS-related studies at Einstein, Rockefeller, and CUNY. The Core leadership provides unique consultation services that leverage their experience to facilitate research by ERC-CFAR investigators and to identify collaborative opportunities within and outside the BATC. The BATC provides cutting-edge services to enable our investigators including members of the HIV and Mental Health Scientific Working Group to accomplish their research, mentors and trains the next generation of HIV investigators, supports the recruitment of established investigators into HIV research, and forges new collaborations across Einstein, Rockefeller and CUNY and other regional academic centers. Services The BATC offers a broad range of services as well as the ability to develop new services customized to your needs. We welcome your inquiries! Please contact us to initiate a consultation which is free of charge, as are some other services to ERC-CFAR members. ERC-CFAR members benefit from a preferential fee structure for Core services, but the Core provides services to those who are not ERC-CFAR members as well. Technological support for HIV prevention, treatment, pathogenesis and cure research Biomarker assays and measurement of antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence Analysis of fluids from in vitro (cell and tissue culture), in vivo (animal models) and clinical samples for quantification of immune molecules linked to HIV pathogenesis, HIV risk and comorbidities using multiplex and ELISA assays. Assays to quantify antiretroviral drug levels (pharmacokinetics), and antiretroviral drug activity (pharmacodynamics) using mass spectrometry, and functional antiviral studies. Provision of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and specific subpopulations of cells (e.g. CD4 and/or CD8 T cells, monocytes, macrophages) isolated from human leukopaks, including samples obtained in collaboration with the Clinical and Translational Science Core (CTSC) by leukapheresis of patients from Montefiore and Rockefeller living with or at risk for HIV infection with defined clinical characteristics. Establishment of cutting-edge research technologies as Core services to provide new opportunities to investigators such as an ex vivo blood-brain model for evaluating virus or factor entry into the brain. Protein sciences support to pursue a wide range of mechanistic studies central to understanding HIV biology and treatment. Production of critical protein reagents to support development of novel biologics for HIV treatment and cure using our well-established bacterial, insect and mammalian expression platforms. Synthesis of protein antigens to study cellular and humoral immunity including the large quantities needed for structural and biochemical characterization of proteins and assemblies critical for HIV infection and life cycle. Provision of unique cell-based assays for characterizing receptor-ligand interactions, including those relevant to novel discoveries linked to antibody dependent cell mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), a critical aspect of vaccines and immunotherapies. Implementation and evaluation of new technologies for inclusion within BATC. New Implemented Services: Bioinformatics support for RNAseq, scRNAseq and other transcriptomics studies, and additional biomarker assays for PrEP and ART adherence. Services Being Evaluated: Expanded metabolomics/small molecule quantitation, microbiome analysis and proteomics. Extensive consultation services to enable investigators to access new technologies not provided within the BATC, but which are available at other institutions. For further information or to access the Biomarker and Advanced Technologies Core services, please contact Drs. Berman , Almo, or Kreuger.
