Translational Research Program
Mario Roederer, Ph.D.
Chief, ImmunoTechnology Section
Acting Head, Translational Research Program
Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.
Major Areas of Research
- Nonhuman primate models of infectious diseases
- Animal research model development
- Research model refinement and replacement
View all research conducted at the Vaccine Research Center (VRC)
Program Description
The Translational Research Program (TRP) provides a comprehensive program of animal care and use for all in vivo research conducted at the VRC and conducts collaborative research and animal model development.
The VRC TRP provides all aspects of oversight and programmatic assistance to support teaching, training, and in vivo research for the VRC by managing all preclinical safety and regulatory issues, ensuring judicious and humane use of animals in compliance with all institutional, local, state, and federal guidelines. It is the VRC’s primary resource for consultation, collaboration, and professional assistance in selecting appropriate animal models or establishing novel models to study disease and vaccine effects.
The TRP pursues independent and collaborative research projects related to animal model and preclinical product development for HIV, influenza, emerging infectious diseases such as alphaviruses, and other biodefense-focused diseases. The TRP conducts translational research to advance vaccine and antibody products from preclinical stages toward human clinical trials by actively monitoring and overseeing efficacy, safety, and toxicology studies in preparation for regulatory oversight of product development. The TRP also investigates novel vaccine delivery methods to enhance efficiency, vaccine efficacy, and safety.
The TRP also operates a fully accredited Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC) in-house animal facility, adhering to all federal regulations. The facility provides quality animal husbandry services, veterinary care, research support and facility management support for rodents. The facility offers preventive medical care, routine surveillance, and quality assurance for vendor- and colony-produced animals. A variety of technical services are performed by facility staff in support of VRC research studies. The veterinary care unit also offers training for those who wish to perform these procedures themselves. For VRC studies conducted at other facilities, the TRP establishes contractual agreements and coordination between investigators and these facilities. Within the in-house facility and contracted facilities, the TRP ensures high-quality research in accordance with regulatory guidelines and biosafety level requirements.
Biography
Education
B.S., 1983, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA
Ph.D., 1988, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Dr. Roederer received his B.S. in chemistry in 1983 from Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, California, followed by his Ph.D. in biological sciences in 1988 from Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, in the laboratory of Dr. Robert Murphy. He trained as a postdoctoral fellow and then as a research fellow at Stanford University from 1988 to 1999 in the laboratory of Dr. Leonard Herzenberg. Following this, he was adjunct associate professor, department of stomatology, University of California, San Francisco, until 2000, when he came to the VRC. He is a senior investigator and is chief of ITS, director of the Flow Cytometry Core, and director of the Nonhuman Primate Immunogenicity Core within the Laboratory of Immunology.
Clinical Studies
Gozalo AS, Elkins WR, Lambert LE, Stock F, Thomas ML, Woodward RA. Genetic diversity of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates during an outbreak in a nonhuman primate research colony. J Med Primatol. 2016;45(6):213-317.
Liu Y, Shim Park E, Gibbons AT, Shide ED, Divi RL, Woodward RA, Poirier MC. Mitochondrial compromise in 3-year old patas monkeys exposed in utero to human-equivalent antiretroviral therapies. Environ Mol Mutagen. 2016;57(7):526-34.
Vinton C, Klatt NR, Harris LD, Briant JA, Sanders-Beer BE, Herbert R, Woodward R, Silvestri G, Pandrea I, Apetrei C, Hirsch VM, Brenchley JM. CD4-like immunological function by CD4-T cells in multiple natural hosts of simian immunodeficiency virus. J Virol. 2011;85(17):8702-8.
Zhao J, Lou Y, Pinczewski J, Malkevitch N, Alrich K, Kalyanaraman V, Peng B, Petterson LJ, Mattapallil J, Roederer M, Edghill-Smith Y, Woodward R, Pavlakis G, Robert-Guroff M. Boosting of SIV-Specific Cellular Immune Responses in Rhesus Macaques by Repeated Administration of Ad5hr-SIV env/rev and –SIVgag Recombinants. Vaccine. 2003 Sept 8;21(25-26):4022-35.
Edghill-Smith Y, Aldrich K, Johnson M, Heylinger A, Perrin RP, Woodward R, Robert-Guroff M. Effects of Intestinal Survival Surgery on Systemic and Mucosal Immune Responses in SIV-infected Rhesus Macaques. Journal Medical Primatology. 2002; 31:313-322.
Hel A, Poudyal M, Tsai W, Guiliani L, Woodward R, Chougnet C, Shearer G, Altman J, Watkins D, Bischofberger N, Abimiku A, Markham P, Tartaglia J, Franchini G. Viremia control following antiretroviral treatment and therapeutic immunization during primary SIV251 infection of macaques. Nat Med. 2000;6:1140-1146.