Rising to the Challenge: CNPRC’s Role in Combatting Dengue Virus in 2024
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 [...]
CNPRC Leadership Visits Congressional Offices
This month, leadership from all seven National Primate Research Centers (NPRCs) and the Caribbean Primate Research Center convened in Washington, D.C. In addition to their internal meetings, leaders from each center engaged with congressional office staff to underscore the importance of their efforts to their local representatives. The California [...]
Innovative Study Reveals Long-Term Anxiety Links in Monkeys Using Machine Learning
Scientists at the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) have successfully used machine learning, a subset of artificial intelligence (AI), to measure anxiety-related behaviors in monkeys. The study, published in Nature's Translational Psychiatry on March 15, 2024, demonstrated that human ratings of an infant monkey’s nervous temperament were [...]
Age and Pleasure: Insights from Monkey Brains Shed Light on Human Touch Perception
The brains of nonhuman primates respond to gentle, pleasurable touch in the same way as humans, even without awareness, researchers at the California National Primate Research Center have found. This study also revealed age-related differences in the way touch is processed by the brain. The study, conducted by [...]
Nonhuman Primate model reveals how HIV infiltrates the brain
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 [...]
CNPRC Participates in Give Day to Support Women’s Health Research
CNPRC Give Day Challenge Donations to CNPRC Excellence Fund will help us reach our goal to become the nation's leading nonhuman primate research center dedicated to women's health. Donate Here The California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) has a history of performing life-saving [...]
Nonhuman Primate Models of Asthma Spark New Discoveries
Asthma is a common chronic lung disease affecting approximately 1 in 13 adults in the U.S., with rates of asthma in the U.S. increasing yearly. Scientists are working hard to understand the disease and test potential treatments. The Inhalation Exposure Core at the California National Primate Research Center [...]
Karen Bales steps in as interim director of California National Primate Research Center
California National Primate Center (CNPRC) announced Professor Karen Bales as interim director, marking the first time a woman has held this position in the center’s history. The previous director, Professor John Morrison, has stepped down after an eight-year tenure to assume the role of president-elect of [...]
Novel Vaccine is a Promising Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder
A new vaccine designed to protect against oxycodone has demonstrated the ability to generate antibodies in the blood, preventing the drug from reaching the brain by trapping it in the bloodstream. The study, funded by the California National Primate Research Center’s Pilot Research Program at the University of [...]
Aged and unfazed: Older monkeys exhibit blunted nervous system response to arousing stimuli
Aged and unfazed: Older monkeys exhibit blunted nervous system response to arousing stimuli Aged rhesus macaques appear unfazed, at least when it comes to their autonomic nervous system (ANS), compared to their younger counterparts. In an experiment monitoring peripheral nervous system responses to mood-inducing videos, researchers [...]
Zika Infection in Pregnant Macaques Slows Fetal Growth
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 [...]
Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction is Linked to Metabolic Syndrome
Lower urinary tract (LUT) dysfunction is prevalent in older adults. Clinical manifestations include urinary retention, incontinence and recurrent urinary tract infections. Bladder catheters and increased risk for infections requiring outpatient antibiotic treatment or hospitalization frequently result. This is often followed by the loss of independence and the need for [...]
CNPRC Pilot Research Program Recipients 2023-2024
The California National Primate Research Center is pleased to announce the 2023-2024 CNPRC Pilot Research Program recipients. Every year the CNPRC awards pilot research grants focusing on nonhuman primate (NHP) models of human disease. This award aims to explore innovative areas of NHP research and generate preliminary data to [...]
Monkey Speed-Dating: The Power of First Impressions
Image of Coppery Titi Monkey. Photo by Kathy West. Monkey Speed-Dating: The Power of First Impressions Just how important are first impressions? Using a speed-dating model, student researcher Alexander Baxter, explored the significance of first impressions in humans and nonhuman primates. The work published in [...]
CNPRC Pilot Research Project Spotlight: The Impact of Age on COVID Response
CNPRC Pilot Research Project Spotlight: The Impact of Age on COVID Response In the spring of 2020, SARS-CoV-2 swept across the world, and scientists everywhere immediately jumped into action. Questions from how the virus spread, to what the infection does to the human body, to who [...]
UC Davis Researchers Awarded $3.5 Million to Study Disease Causing Vision Loss in Children
UC Davis Researchers Awarded $3.5 Million to Study Disease Causing Vision Loss in Children Autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA) is a rare genetic disease that causes progressive and irreversible vision loss in both eyes starting in the first decade of life. There is currently no treatment [...]
40th Annual Symposium on Nonhuman Primate Models for AIDS
The 40th Annual Symposium on Nonhuman Primate Models for AIDS will take place on October 10-13, 2023, at University of California Davis Activities and Recreation Center in Davis, California. Registration is now open! The 40th annual Symposium will be a unique, world-class [...]
Male and Female Titi Monkeys Exhibit Different Biological and Behavioral Responses to Intranasal Oxytocin
Biological and Behavioral Responses to Intranasal Oxytocin A series of studies published by Dr. Karen Bales’ lab at the California National Primate Research Center revealed that chronic intranasal oxytocin (OT) produces sex-specific biological and behavioral responses in titi monkeys, a monogamous nonhuman primate. Karen Bales [...]
Experimental COVID-19 Vaccine Offers Long-Term Protection Against Severe Disease
Experimental COVID-19 Vaccine Offers Long-Term Protection Against Severe Disease 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 [...]