NPRC Scientific Seminar Series Marks 60 Years of NIH Support

One of ORIP’s flagship programs, the National Primate Research Centers (NPRCs), celebrate six decades of biomedical research advancements with a 60^th Anniversary Seminar Series in spring 2022. First established by Congress in the 1960s as the Regional Primate Research Centers Program, the Centers expanded their reach to support the research community across the United States. As a result, they were renamed as National Primate Research Centers in 2001 to reflect their national and international impact on biomedical research and innovation. The NPRCs support many research disciplines by providing cutting-edge facilities, well-characterized nonhuman primate (NHP) models for research, and expertise in all aspects of NHP biology, husbandry, and research to scientists conducting basic and translational research.

To recognize 60 years of NIH support, the NPRC Consortium of seven Centers is sponsoring a virtual seminar series featuring both senior and early-stage investigators, who will share the latest research and scientific advancements made with NHPs. Physician-scientists will also participate in the series to provide the clinical perspective that helps inform future research directions. 

The seven-part seminar series will run from April 27 to June 8, 2022. The first session will focus on HIV/AIDS, an area where studies using an SIV-infected macaque model led to the breakthrough antiviral therapies used today to control HIV infection in humans (April 27). Subsequent sessions will explore the role of NHPs in the following research areas: 

2. Developing treatments or vaccines for other infectious diseases (April 28);
3. Addressing neurodegenerative disorders (May 11);
4. Advancing behavioral and neurological research (May 12);
5. Using genetic and stem cell technologies to treat diseases (May 25);
6. Advancing reproductive biology and endocrinology research (May 26); and
7. Investigating the impact of genomic variation on NHP research (June 8).   

Join us in celebrating the NPRCs through these free, virtual seminars. Please register at https://tinyurl.com/nprc60th.

NPRCresearch.org offers comprehensive information for investigators, collaborators, NIH program officials, and the public regarding the NPRCs’ areas of research, capabilities, NHP species, and achievements. The NPRC.org website focuses on educating the public about the benefits of NHP research. To learn more about the NPRCs visit: ORIP National Primate Research Centers Consortium.

Franziska B. Grieder, DVM, Ph.D.
Director of the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs