Many biomedical researchers use animal models to better understand diseases that occur in humans. Transplantation of testis stem cells—the foundation of sperm production and male fertility—is an established approach developed in mice, but its application to large animals (e.g., sheep, pigs, nonhuman primates) has been more challenging.

Located within the heart of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Research Institute, the Clinical Vector Core (CVC) fills a unique role within the biomedical research community. The CVC provides services to academic, industry, and government groups for the advancement of gene therapy research. An ORIP award (G20RR030997) administered through the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant program—whose goals were to stimulate the U.S.

Gregor Mendel’s work in the 19th century laid the foundation for our current understanding of heritability—the ways in which phenotypes (i.e., an individual’s observable traits) are...

Imaging plays a pivotal role in deciphering the molecular pathways of human physiology and pathophysiology. At The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern), four instruments funded through ORIP’s S10 Shared Instrumentation Programs have contributed significantly to this role.

At the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC), a group of monkeys climb and swing across their large outdoor enclosure. At first glance, the small, fur-covered primates appear to bear little resemblance to their human handlers. Their DNA, however, tells a different story. The rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) shares about 93 percent of its genome with humans.¹ For this reason, researchers study the rhesus macaque to understand primate evolution, comparative physiology, and the genetic basis of human diseases as well as addressing numerous scientific questions.

The era of personalized medicine is being realized through the testing of therapies on animal avatars.