Using Human Cell Animal Chimera Brains to Study HIV Latency and Pathology R01 - Clinical Trials Not Allowed

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Recent technical advancements have enabled generating human cell-mice chimeric brains by engrafting human iPSC-derived primitive neural progenitor cells and/or cord blood-derived microglial progenitor cells into neonatal mouse. In the chimeric brain, human neural progenitor cells or microglial cells differentiate, migrate, and distribute throughout the mouse brain. They are eventually functionally integrated into various brain regions. Such successes provide opportunities to define the structure, function, genetics and plasticity of functional neural networks containing human cells. It can also serve as a rodent model to study HIV infectivity, provirus activity, reservoir formation, and the neuropathogenesis of HIV infection. It allows the study of HIV and substance abuse comorbidity in the brain of a fully functional, awake, behaving animal from the single cell to neural circuitry levels.

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