In 2024, there has been a record-breaking number of dengue virus outbreaks, with more than seven million cases documented. Dengue virus is a viral infection that spreads from mosquitoes to humans, resulting in symptoms such as high fever, headache, nausea, body aches, and rash. In severe cases or cases of reinfection, dengue virus can be fatal.
Nonhuman Primate Model Reveals How HIV Infiltrates the Brain
A recent study conducted at the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) is uncovering how the HIV virus spreads in the brain. Smita Iyer, an Associate Professor in the Division of Experimental and Translational Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, led the study during her tenure as a CNPRC core scientist.
Zika virus infection in pregnant rhesus macaques slows fetal growth and affects how infants and mothers interact in the first month of life, according to a new study from researchers at the California National Primate Research Center at the University of California, Davis. The work, published Oct. 25 in Science Translational Medicine, has implications for both humans exposed to Zika virus and for other viruses that can cross the placenta, including SARS-CoV2, responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two-dose vaccines provide protection against lung disease in rhesus macaques one year after they were vaccinated as infants, a new study shows. The work, published in Science Translational Medicine Dec. 1, is a follow-up to a 2021 studying showing that the Moderna mRNA vaccine and a protein-based vaccine candidate containing an adjuvant, a substance that enhances immune responses, elicited durable neutralizing antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 during infancy in preclinical research.
Infants are commonly exposed to and treated with antibiotics during the birthing process. However, new research in nonhuman primates may change the way doctors approach antibiotic treatment. A study conducted by the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) and the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) provides the first clear evidence in nonhuman primates that early-life antibiotic treatment can affect the gut microbiome, altering the immune system's response to lung infections.
A collection of infectious disease researchers at the California National Primate Research Center and the Center for Immunology and Infectious Diseases observed early immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in rhesus macaques. Their findings suggest vaccine developers should focus on promoting specialized immune cells called CD4 T follicular helper (Tfh) cells capable of targeting spike (S) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins associated with SARS-CoV-2.
Although absent from recent news cycles, Zika virus (ZIKV) continues to be a public health emergency and international concern. A collaborative effort between Koen Van Rompay, core scientist with the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC), Barney Graham (Vaccine Research Institute) and Ted Pierson (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) brings us one step closer towards preventing another outbreak.
Developing a strategy to prevent and treat Zika virus Research is beginning next week at the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) at UC Davis to understand Zika virus. Leading the efforts are Drs. Koen Van Rompay, Eliza Bliss-Moreau, Paul Luciw and John H. Morrison at the CNPRC, and Dr. Lark Coffey, UC Davis. The rapid spread of the virus and potential connection to an otherwise rare birth defect have drawn plenty of attention from the public and from government officials.
A new understanding of how some infants may resist HIV disease
When a person is infected with a virus their immune system is normally activated to respond to and control the infection. However, when a person is persistently infected with HIV, the chronic activation and overstimulation of the immune system is associated with disease progression. HIV is unique in that it directly attacks the cells of the immune system, breaking down the body’s defenses. Once the adaptive immune system is alerted to an HIV infection, it responds by producing HIV-specific CD4+ T cells.
