Shine was not sure that the trip would be fruitful. They were going to push the dose of the virus high to see where the treatment became toxic. Dr. Dee Carey, a research veterinarian who heads his own department at the Southwest Foundation, met them with his team. They donned scrubs and bright yellow throwaway paper gowns to go into the secure area where the tests would be carried out. No one wanted to risk releasing the adenovirus into the atmosphere.
Baboons are big animals - bigger when they are under anesthesia and limp.
Just getting them situated in the upright stereotactic unit took hours. While Trask, gowned, masked and completely covered, stood behind the baboon, Shine began to warm the virus. The whir of the drill as Trask made the small burr hole in the animal's head sounded loud in the quiet room. Each time, Shine injected the virus - slowly, carefully, so that it would not leak into the surrounding brain. Two animals received moderate doses of the virus followed by ganciclovir - the treatment that most closely matched that planned for humans.