Shared Resources
Shared Resources

Aerobiology 
Director: Richard Frothingham, MD

Shared Resource Summary:

The Aerobiology Shared Resource was built with NIAID funding to support basic research in emerging infections and biodefense. The Aerobiology SR provides aerosol challenges with BSL2 and BSL3 microbes in collaboration with the Infectious Disease Animal Models SR. The Aerobiology SR supports studies related to the generation and delivery of biological particles in aerosol form, and creating conditions leading to an optimized delivery in the respiratory tract of the animal model.
 

Personnel/Contact Information:

Director: Richard Frothingham, MD
Office Phone: (919) 684-5455
Lab Phone: (919) 684-3349
Fax: (919) 681-1678
Email: richard.frothingham@duke.edu
Manager: Divey Saini, PhD
Office Phone: (919) 681-9770
Lab Phone: (919) 681-9293
Fax: (919) 681-1678
Email: divey.saini@duke.edu
 
Location: 1095 GHRB, DUMC Box 103020, Durham, NC 27710
 

Getting Started:

  1. For projects involving aerosol delivery of microbes to animals, please contact Richard Frothingham, MD (Director). We will develop a description of the scope of the proposed research, and will provide a detailed quote including the services of both the Aerobiology SR and the Infectious Disease Animal Models SR.

  2. For other aerobiology research projects, please contact Divey Saini, PhD (Manager) to develop a project description and detailed quote.

  3. Please see the Common Tools sidebar to register to use facilities, schedule or request a job, and to retrieve data.

  4. For a schedule of fees for services, please contact DHVI Shared Resources business office.

Facilities and Instruments:

The Aerobiology Shared Resource is housed inside the ABSL3 vivarium of the Regional Biocontainment Laboratory at Duke. This space is described in more detail in the Animal Models SR site. The space provides ABSL3 containment that meets or exceeds national safety and security standards.
 
The Aerobiology SR has the following pieces of specialized equipment to support research:
 
  • Whole-body animal inhalation exposure system for mice, rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits (photo)
  • Multi-port cross for bio-aerosol sampling from the Madison Chamber (photo)
  • Nose-only inhalation exposure system for mice (photo)
  • Automated controller and software for aerosol generation, sampling, and recording aerosol parameters - AeroMP, Biaera Tech, LLC (photo)
  • Aerodynamic Particle Sizer - Model 3321, TSI Inc. Laser-based characterization of the aerodynamic particle size and concentration of particles in aerosols (photo)

Services Provided:

The Aerobiology SR will work with the Infectious Diseases Animal Models SR to provide comprehensive services related to animal challenge with BSL2 and BSL3 pathogens. See the Animal Models SR site for more details. The Aerobiology SR will provide the following services to support animal challenge models:
 
  • Aerobiology consultation to determine the best approach to the exposure
  • Choice of whole body or nose-only exposure as appropriate to the pathogen and hypothesis
  • Characterization of the particle size distribution of the aerosol generated
  • Biological sampling of the aerosol to estimate the viable microbe dose presented to the lungs
  • Sentinel necropsy to determine the viable microbes dose delivered to the lungs
  • Automated controller for controlling the air flow rate of the nebulizer and sampler, and recording the aerobiology parameters in real time
  • The Aerobiology SR provides services to support researchers in understanding the behavior of biological particles in aerosol form and improving the delivery parameters to enhance the presented dose

Affiliated Centers:

  • Duke University Center for Translational Research Grant – AI051445
  • Southeast Regional Center of Excellence for Emerging Infections and Biodefense (SERCEB) - AI057157

Publications:

2006-2008
 
Saini D, Buller RM, Biris AS, Biswas P. Characterization of a Nose-Only Inhalation Exposure System for Ectromelia Virus Infection of Mice. Particulate Science and Technology. 2009 Mar. 27(2): 152-165.
 
Saini D, Trigwell S, Srirama PK, Sims RA, Sharma R, Biris AS, Mazumder MK. Portable Free-Fall Electrostatic Separator for Beneficiation of Charged Particulate Materials. Particulate Science and Technology. 2008 Jul. 26(4): 349–360.
 
Saini D, Srirama PK, Biris AS, Mazumder MK. Particle Size and Charge Distribution Analysis of Pharmaceutical Aerosols Generated by Inhalers. Pharmaceutical Development and Technology. 2007 Jan. 12(1):35-41.
 
Mazumder MK, Sims RA, Biris AS, Srirama PK, Saini D, Yurteri CU, Trigwell S, De S, Sharma R. Twenty-first Century Research Needs in Electrostatic Processes Applied to Industry and Medicine. Chemical Engineering Science. 2006 Apr. 61(7): 2192-2211.
 
Yu JS, Peacock JW, Vanleeuwen S, Hsu T, Jacobs WR, Jr., Cayabyab MJ, Letvin NL, Frothingham R, Staats HF, Liao HX, Haynes BF. Generation of mucosal anti-human immunodeficiency virus type 1 T-Cell responses by recombinant Mycobacterium smegmatis. Clin Vaccine Immunol. 13:1204-1211.
 
Styer KL, Click EM, Hopkins GW, Frothingham R, Aballay A. Study of the role of CCR5 in a mouse model of intranasal challenge with Y. pestis. Microbes and Infection. 9: 1135-8
 
Yu JS, Peacock JW, Jacobs WR Jr, Frothingham R, Letvin NL, Liao HX, Haynes BF. Recombinant bacillus Calmette-Guerin elicits HIV-1 envelope-specific T lymphocytes at mucosal sites. Clin Vaccine Immunol. 14: 866-93.
 
Bifani P, Mathema B, Kurepina N, et al (Frothingham R one of 11 authors). The evolution of drug-resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis: From a mono-rifampin resistant cluster into increasingly multidrug resistant variants in an HIV sero-positive population. J Infect Dis. 198:90-94.
 
Stout JE, Hopkins GW, McDonald JR, Quinn A, Hamilton CD, Reller LB, Frothingham R. Association between 16S-23S ITS sequence groups of Mycobacterium avium complex and pulmonary disease. J Clin Microbiol. 46:2790-3.
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