Clay receives competitive award to pursue research

Dr. Candice Clay, a post-doctoral fellow in the CNPRC Respiratory Diseases Unit, was awarded a two-year Hartwell Postdoctoral Fellowship, beginning in June 2013.

The Hartwell Foundation provides funding for postdoctoral training in biomedical science, and offers support to young scientists eager to pursue early-stage, innovative, and cutting-edge biomedical research that that has the potential to benefit children.

Research proposed in Dr. Clay’s Hartwell Biomedical Fellowship will help to identify mechanisms that limit pediatric defense against viruses and bacteria in the lung. Importantly, approaches to augment innate immune function of infant lungs may ultimately translate into improved therapeutics and vaccines for the highly susceptible pediatric population.

Dr. Clay’s application — including her research proposal, letters of recommendation, and curicula vitae — was chosen by the UC Davis Office of Research as an exemplification of the values of the Foundation, and selected to receive the two-year award.

PhD student Katie Chun selected out of 95 applicants

Brain, Mind, and Behavior  (BMB) doctoral student Katie Chun was one of only three students in the US and Canada who was honored with a 2012 Early Graduate Student Research Award from the American Psychological Association. She was chosen for demonstrating outstanding research abilities early in her graduate training, and showing a considerable level of independence in conducting her research.

Ms. Chun’s research focuses on the underlying physiological mechanisms of how personality may affect health outcomes (e.g., asthma) using rhesus monkeys. Specifically, she is interested in how behavioral inhibition is associated with differences in regulation of inflammation. One way that behavioral inhibition and inflammation may be related is through stress response systems, particularly the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which uses glucocorticoids as its main effector molecule. Normally, glucocorticoids regulate the immune system by decreasing inflammation. She is interested in how behavioral inhibition may be related to disruptions in this normal process, and how these effects could lead to alterations in health.

More than 95 graduate students applied for the award, representing basic, applied, and interdisciplinary science research areas within psychological science.

Ms. Chun is a third year graduate student in biological psychology at the University of California, Davis, where she works with Dr. John Capitanio, BMB Core Scientist. This award will help her to expand her past work and to better understand the molecular mechanisms of the association of behavioral inhibition and inflammation. For more information and to apply for this award, see: http://www.apa.org/about/awards/scistucoun-earlyre.aspx.

‘Rising Star’ in Psychology

Congratulations to Eliza Bliss-Moreau, Brain, Mind, and Behavior Unit, who was recently named one of the Association for Psychological Science’s (APS) “Rising Stars”. APS describes these young scientists as the “movers and shakers who are propelling science into new directions.”

Bliss-Moreau’s research focuses on the biological underpinnings of affect and emotion, with a particular focus on the mechanisms that generate individual differences.  “My core interest is to understand why there is such marked variety in people’s affective experiences — why some people love the taste of coffee and others hate it; why some people laugh at a joke while others scowl; why the same event can result in one person developing affect-related psychopathology yet leave another person relatively unscathed.” Read more about Bliss-Moreau and her research at: http://www.elizablissmoreau.com.

Dr. Bliss-Moreau was also one of two scholars awarded the 2013 UC Davis Excellence in Postdoctoral Research Awards, by the Office of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Council.  This award recognizes the vital role that Postdoctoral Scholars play in maintaining the reputation of excellent research at the University of California, Davis.

Tracking diet transitions during infancy from teeth

Similar to analyzing tree rings to understand the environment in which it grew, a careful look at the “rings” in primate teeth can tell the story of when an infant was exclusively milk fed, when supplemental food started, and at what age it was weaned. Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and CNPRC Affiliate Scientist, Dr. Katie Hinde, was part of a research team to apply data from her studies on mother’s milk in rhesus monkeys at the CNPRC to a novel analysis technique of tooth material in monkeys, humans, and fossils (Harvard University press release).

Using the rhesus tooth crowns, the team was able to determine exact timing of birth, exclusive mother’s milk intake, and the weaning process, down to nearly the day. This validation of the analysis technique was then applied to human teeth and a Neanderthal tooth. The novel approach allows exciting insight into ancestral breastfeeding practices, as the team documents the first early life diet transitions in a juvenile Neanderthal, which shows a pattern of exclusive mother’s milk for seven months, followed by seven months of supplementation. This technique opens up extensive opportunities to investigate lactation in fossils and museum collections of primate teeth.

One of the most remarkable features of human development is that human infants are weaned much earlier than our closest ape relatives, often by several years. Although there is some variation among human cultures, this accelerated transition to foods other than mother’s milk is thought to have emerged in our ancestral history due, in part, to more cooperative infant care and access to a more nutritious diet. Shorter lactation periods can translate into shorter inter-birth intervals and higher reproductive rates. However, there is much debate about when accelerated weaning occurred in the hominin lineage. For the past few decades researchers have relied on tooth eruption age as a direct proxy for weaning age. Yet recent investigations of wild chimpanzees have revealed that first molar eruption occurs prior to the cessation of weaning, complicating the estimation of weaning from fossilized dentitions.

This study demonstrated that major dietary shifts during infancy are accurately recorded in mineralized dental tissues, which are apparent in fossil remains for thousands of years. An analysis of naturally shed baby teeth from human children with precise records of infant diet, and CNPRC macaques with known diet histories demonstrated that barium distributions reflect dietary transitions, beginning with the onset of breastfeeding and continuing through the weaning process. Barium levels in dental tissues formed during nursing are higher than in tissues that mineralize before birth, during solid food supplementation, or after nursing ceases.

After weaning, barium levels returned to baseline prenatal levels, suggesting an abrupt cessation of breastfeeding in Neanderthals at 1.2 years of age. Integration of information on the spatial distribution of elements such as barium and the precise daily record of tooth formation (Fig. 1) enables novel studies of the evolution of human life history, dietary patterns in wild primates, and human health investigations through accurate reconstructions and comparisons of breastfeeding history.

By applying these new techniques to primate teeth in museum collections, we can more precisely assess maternal investment across individuals within species, as well as life history evolution among species.

The research team was led by lead authors Drs. Christine Austin (Westmead Centre for Oral Health, Australia) and Tanya Smith (Harvard University Department of Human Evolutionary Biology), and senior author Dr. Manish Arora (Department of Preventative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Senai). Dr. Hinde directs the Comparative Lactation Lab at Harvard University.

Austin C, Smith TM, Bradman A, Hinde K, Joannes-Boyau R, Bishop D, Hare DJ, Doble P, Eskenazi B, Arora M. Barium distributions in teeth reveal early life dietary transitions in primates. Nature (in press).

Unknown effects of long-term oxytocin use in children

Dr. Karen Bales, CNPRC Brain, Mind, and Behavior (BMB) Unit Leader, has done extensive research on the hormone oxytocin and its short and long-term effects on behavior in two monogamous species – prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) and titi monkeys (Callicebus cupreus). She is particularly interested in the role of neuropeptides such as oxytocin and vasopressin in social bonding and male parental care, as well as the effects of early experiences on the development of these behaviors.  Dr. Bales’ research has been in a wide range of publications, from an airline magazine for Valentine’s Day, to many online public interest stories, to countless peer-reviewed journals, including the current issue of Science (The Promise and Perils of Oxytocin, by Greg Miller, Science 18 January 2013: Vol. 339 no. 6117 pp. 267-269).  Her co-authors include Dr. Sally Mendoza, also a BMB Core Scientist, as well as Dr. Marjorie Solomon of the UC Davis MIND Institute, Dr. Suma Jacob of the University of Minnesota, UC Davis Psychology graduate students Allison Perkeybile and Olivia Conley, and UC Davis undergraduates Griffin Downing, Caleigh Guoynes, Meredith Lee, and Catherine Yun.  At the time of the research, Ms. Lee was a student at John F. Kennedy High School in Sacramento.

Author Greg Miller of Science, writes “Few substances produced by the human body have inspired as much hoopla as oxytocin. Although breathless media coverage often goes too far, it reflects a genuine and infectious excitement among many scientists about the hormone's role in social behavior: promoting trust and cooperation and making people more attuned to social cues. At first glance, oxytocin might seem like just what the doctor should be ordering. But as researchers have continued to explore the hormone's effect on human behavior, a darker side has emerged.”

Discussing the history of research with oxytocin, and addressing the question if the current jump to long-term human clinical trials with autistic children is premature, Miller includes Dr. Bales’ research and her concerns about giving children hormones whose effects have not been studied in the long-term. From her past research, Dr. Bales knows that even a single dose of oxytocin can have long-lasting effects; “The clearest message was that any exposure to oxytocin can cause long-term behavioral and neuroendocrine effects”.

“There’s been this quick leap from looking at a single dose of oxytocin in healthy adults to trying to give it to children with autism whose brains are still developing,” she says. Dr. Bales hasn’t found a single published study on the long-term behavioral effects of multiple doses of oxytocin in developing animals. “It seemed to me that we are really skipping a step.”

Recently Dr. Bales and colleagues tried to better mimic the type of oxytocin treatment now in clinical trials for autism, giving young prairie voles daily squirts of oxytocin in the nose for 3 weeks. In developmental terms, Bales says that the voles were roughly equivalent to 12- to 17-year-old children. In the short term, oxytocin made the voles more social, as expected. As adults, however, treated males had abnormal relationships with their partners. Several currently proposed clinical trials plan to administer oxytocin to children in this age group.

To Dr. Bales, her research findings raise the troubling possibility that repeated use of oxytocin nasal spray may cause long-term changes in the brain that negate or even reverse the hormone’s benefits, perhaps by tricking the brain into making less oxytocin of its own.

Out of frustration that science is moving too slowly, parents of autistic children have been willing to try experimental treatments, even before they’re fully vetted by researchers. At the same time, Dr. Bales hopes that science won’t let these families down again by rushing too quickly into clinical trials with a hormone whose effects aren’t adequately understood.

Dr. Bales’ research is funded by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), which includes follow-up studies of chronic intranasal oxytocin administration in monkeys.

Plastics chemical shows two-generation effect in pregnant monkeys

Exposure of pregnant monkeys to the widely-used chemical bisphenol A (BPA) disrupts development of fetal ovaries, potentially causing birth defects and reproductive problems that would not emerge for a generation, according to research by Dr. Patricia Hunt and colleagues at Washington State University and Dr. Catherine VandeVoort at the CNPRC. The research was reported in a paper published this week (Sept. 24) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

(A news release from Washington State University can be found here.)

BPA is a chemical used in plastics, epoxy resins that line cans, and cash register receipts. Most people in the United States have measurable levels of BPA in their blood that indicate that exposure is nearly continuous. By using an animal with a reproductive system like that of humans, the research bolsters earlier work by Hunt and others documenting widespread reproductive effects in rodents.

What was done in this study?
Pregnant monkeys were given doses of BPA designed to produce a blood level of BPA similar to that found in humans. In this paper, the researchers looked at effects on the developing ovaries of female fetuses.This study has also provided samples to investigators working on other organ systems. A study on the mammary gland was led by researchers at Tufts and published in PNAS in May. Additional papers describing effects on other organs should be finished soon.

What were the findings?
When BPA was given in the second trimester of pregnancy, the fetal eggs had an increased incidence of chromosome damage. This damage could lead to miscarriage or birth defects in future offspring of the fetus. When given later in pregnancy, BPA disrupted the packaging of eggs into follicles. Follicles are the structures that eggs need to develop and grow properly.

“The effect of BPA on development of the ovary is especially concerning because the dose that is given to the pregnant female affects the fetus and if that fetus is female then the eggs that are being formed in the developing ovary are affected,” VandeVoort said. “The final results of the exposure may not been seen until the fetus grows up and has offspring of its own. If these same changes were happening in people, then the effects of BPA exposure in a pregnant woman might not been seen for 20 or 30 or more years, when her child reaches adulthood and has children of her own.”

“We are very concerned about the consequences of large numbers of eggs not forming proper follicles. All the eggs a female will ever have are formed before birth. The effect we have seen in this study could mean a shortened reproductive lifespan.”

Why use a monkey model?
Low doses of BPA have been shown to disrupt development in rodent models, but because mice naturally have low estrogen levels they may be more sensitive to BPA than humans. The study of BPA in a primate model is critical because the rhesus monkey has estrogen levels as well as reproductive and developmental processes that are similar to humans. The amount of BPA given to the monkeys in the study produced blood levels of BPA that are slightly lower than the mean level measured in humans in recent studies. Therefore, the results of this study are highly relevant to human health.

One of the major objectives of the CNPRC is to conduct primate studies in critical areas where rodent experiments are not sufficient. This study will help inform the public and regulatory agencies of the potential effects of BPA in humans.

“It’s important to do studies in a model with estrogen levels similar to those in women,” VandeVoort said. “Fetal development is very different in rodents and primates.”

Capitanio named ‘Distinguished Primatologist’

An internationally recognized expert in the study of nonhuman primate psychobiology and health, Dr. John Capitanio, CNPRC Staff Scientist in the Brain, Mind, and Behavior (BMB) Unit at the California National Primate Research Center, was honored on Saturday June 23, with the distinction of being selected as the American Society of Primatologists (ASP) “Distinguished Primatologist for 2012”.

Capitanio was chosen to receive this prestigious national award for his outstanding career and for making a diversity of important and significant contributions to the field of primatology. His work has been highly interdisciplinary with expertise in a variety of areas (including molecular biology, respiratory function, immunology, and neurobiology, among others), with a specific focus on the role that temperament and personality play in social dynamics as they relate to a number of significant health outcomes.

In addition to the value of his work in basic science, Capitanio has also played an unusual role by conducting research that is important in applied arenas. Much of his research has contributed to improving the welfare of captive primates by discovering their needs for appropriate social housing, understanding and minimizing stress, identifying adverse environments for primates, and enhancing their health. Some of his biomedical research studies have focused on how individual-level characteristics affect physiological organization to influence disease-related outcomes.

Capitanio manages his demanding research schedule and still finds time to be intensely involved with training the next generation of primatologists; he has collaborated with over 40 investigators, mentored 15 graduate students, taught countless classes in Psychology and Animal Behavior at UC Davis, and has received the UC Davis Outstanding Teaching Award.

Showing tremendous service to the ASP over the past 25 years, Capitanio has led the Society as its President, served as a member or chair on nearly every committee (some of them concurrently), and since 1995 has managed the ASP website.

Capitanio became the third CNPRC primatologist in the history of the ASP to receive this important award (Dr. William Mason was the first recipient of the new award in 1989, followed by Dr. Andrew Hendrickx in 2002), more than any other institution.

Peter Judge, ASP Awards Committee Chairman, and Karen Bales (CNPRC BMB Unit Leader), current ASP President, presented Capitanio with a plaque, an honorarium, and an invitation to deliver the Distinguished Primatologist Address (Featured Speaker) at the next meeting of the Society, which will be held in Puerto Rico in 2013.

A sustained standing ovation greeted the news that Capitanio had won this important award. ASP members hold their awards ceremony at their annual banquet, which this year was at the beautiful Farm at Putah Creek, in Winters, California.

Immune cell populations studied that influence HIV disease outcome

A new study conducted at the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) may help clarify why some people infected with HIV are better able to control the virus. The results may also pinpoint a target for treatment during early HIV infection aimed at increasing the supply of certain immune cells in the gut, which the study shows could be an important factor in limiting HIV growth in cells throughout the body.

This new research looked at the balance between immune cell populations that might influence disease outcome. Published in the May 30, 2012 online issue of Science Translational Medicine ("SIV Replication in the Infected Rhesus Macaque Is Limited by the Size of the Preexisting TH17 Cell Compartment"), the study was authored by Principal Investigator Dennis Hartigan-O’Connor, MD, PhD, new staff scientist in the Infectious Diseases (ID) and Reproductive Sciences and Regenerative Medicine Units at the CNPRC; and Kristina Abel, PhD, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of North Carolina, (at the time of the study a faculty member at UC Davis and scientist at the CNPRC). The study was also conducted by Koen K. Van Rompay, PhD, DVM, ID Unit researcher. "The research involved a rhesus macaque model of HIV, monkeys who were infected with simian immunodeficiency virus, SIV" Abel said. "The course of SIV infection in these monkeys is quite similar to that of HIV in humans."

Both HIV and SIV infections cause severe CD4 T (immune) cell loss in the gut during early infection. As a result, the intestinal mucosal barrier, which is like the body's second skin or front line of defense against pathogens, is compromised. The "leaky gut" causes the normal gut bacteria flora to migrate out and activate the immune system throughout the body with disastrous health consequences. "The immune activation contributes to higher replication of the virus. And so the question is, why do some patients progress from infection to AIDS faster than others?" Abel asks.

Th17 cells, which are a subgroup of lymphocytes (white blood cells), are commonly found at mucosal surfaces and activate epithelial or outer layer barrier cells to secrete antimicrobial molecules, thus blocking disease-causing bacteria from entering. Abel points out that they also stimulate the production of "tight junction" proteins that keep all the cells that make up the intestinal barrier in close contact, "so that bacteria of the normal flora or their products cannot leak out."

The researchers wondered if there are more Th17 cells in the gut, would infection with the AIDS virus still have that early massive effect on gut permeability? And if you could keep the intestinal barrier intact during early infection with HIV, would it have an impact on the severity of disease progression, on having less severe disease in the long run?

Results of the study suggest that the answers may be yes. Rhesus macaques with higher numbers of Th17 cells in blood and intestinal tissue before they are infected with SIV subsequently have lower SIV viral loads. “Animals with more of these Th17 cells were better able to control SIV and this was due in part to macaques developing a more effective immune response by producing more SIV-specific CD4-positive T-cells to fight the infection. Our next step is to see if we can augment the Th17 effect, perhaps by looking at interleukin 17 (IL-17), the cytokine released by these cells, and testing to see if it has an effect,” said Hartigan-O’Connor.

“Further, if a treatment can be developed to increase Th17 cells in the gut, it may allow for a more effective immune response after exposure to an HIV vaccine or the virus itself,” he added.

Support for the research came from the National Institutes of Health, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the California National Primate Research Center, the National Center for Research Resources, the Harvey V. Berneking Living Trust, and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

BPA and Female Development

Adding important new findings to extensive scientific evidence that Bisphenol A (BPA) is a harmful substance, Dr. Catherine VandeVoort, staff scientist in Reproductive Sciences and Regenerative Medicine at the CNPRC, has been part of a team effort investigating the effects of BPA on the fetal development in nonhuman primates and the first paper, focusing on the fetal mammary gland, is now being published. (Tharp AP, et al. Bisphenol A alters the development of the rhesus monkey mammary gland. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012).

BPA, used in the manufacturing of various plastics and resins for food packaging, consumer products, some cash register receipts, and medical devices, is controversial because it exerts weak, but detectable, hormone-like properties which can mimic estrogen and may lead to far-ranging negative health effects including increased cardiovascular disease and diabetes in adults, increased cancer rates, including breast cancer, neurological difficulties, and hormonal and reproductive issues in both sexes and at all stages of life. A 2011 study demonstrated just how pervasive the chemical is – analyzing the number of chemicals pregnant women are exposed to in the U.S. found BPA in 96% of women.

The aim of the overall study, conducted at the CNPRC, was to determine whether maternal circulating levels of unconjugated BPA, similar to those found in human serum, affected the development of female rhesus monkey offspring. Rhesus monkeys pregnant with female fetuses were daily fed a small piece of fruit containing BPA during the late third trimester that resulted in serum levels of unconjugated BPA similar to those observed in humans, making the results of this study relevant to human exposure and health issues. Many tissues from the fetuses were sent to experts around the country – in the case of the mammary gland, to Dr. Ana Soto at Tufts University.

A quantitative analysis that compared the morphology of exposed and unexposed female neonatal mammary glands was conducted, and demonstrated that gestational exposure to BPA affected the nonhuman primate mammary gland development in ways similar to rodent results. Previous rodent studies had shown significant alterations in the gland’s morphology that varied from subtle ones observed during the exposure period to precancerous and cancerous lesions manifested in adulthood.

From what is known about the role of endogenous hormones in the development of the mammary gland it was also concluded that BPA affects several developmental parameters of the mammary gland of rhesus monkeys, including some that are relevant to breast cancer risk in humans.

"We think that our results suggest that it is very likely that fetal exposure to BPA would also increase the propensity to develop mammary cancer in monkeys," Soto said.

The sum of all the findings "strongly suggest that BPA is a breast carcinogen in humans and human exposure to BPA should be curtailed," she said.

This study took advantage of an ongoing research project by Dr. VandeVoort that was designed to assess the effect of BPA on ovarian morphogenesis and to determine the circulating levels of unconjugated BPA in orally exposed female rhesus monkeys. Other tissues are also being analyzed for possible affects of BPA, including lung development.

WASHINGTON — Food-packaging chemical could lead to breast cancer, study finds. By Renee Schoof, McClatchy Newspapers

New Discoveries Lead Towards Better Understanding of Battle Between HIV and the Immune System

The GI tract is considered a major 'battlefield' between the immune system and HIV. The intestinal mucosa is the site of early infection and aggressive transmission for HIV, making it the first line of defense against the infection. A better understanding of what happens in the GI tract may lead to knowledge of how to eradicate the HIV virus, new treatment options, and strategies for vaccine development.

A recent study by Dr. Chris Miller, CNPRC Infectious Diseases Unit, and Dr. Barbara Shacklett, UC Davis Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, used the monkey model of HIV, simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), to determine if the ability of primary myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) to promote the production of regulatory T cells (which modulate immune-system attacks) is affected by chronic SIV infection.

Results found that GI tissue in monkeys infected with SIV can ramp up production of regulatory T cells (Treg), weakening the body's attack against the invading virus. Tissue mDCs from SIV- infected animals exhibited an enhanced capability to induce Treg and may contribute to the accumulation of Treg in lymphoid tissues during progressive infection. The activation status of dendritic cells impacts this process but the capacity to induce Treg was not restricted to mucosal dendritic cells in infected animals. The discovery could help explain how HIV evades the body's immune defenses, and lead to a treatment strategy that could slow the production of this restraining type of T cell. This would let the immune system go after the virus more aggressively.

Obama Names Valeggia PECASE Award Winner
Conducted her PhD research at CNPRC

On September 26, 2011, President Barack Obama named Dr. Claudia R. Valeggia, who conducted her PhD research at the CNPRC, as one of 94 recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.

“I was speechless,” Valeggia said upon finding out the news, now Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania. “It’s such a great honor, and it’s such a big push for my research.”

Annually, the most meritorious scientists and engineers whose early accomplishments show the greatest promise for assuring America’s preeminence in science and engineering are selected for their pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology, and their commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education, or community outreach.

Valeggia was chosen as a PECASE recipient for her work on somatic, developmental, cultural and endocrine correlates of key life history transitions, and for developing educational programs for indigenous people, promoting student training, and aiding hospitals to help determine infant feeding choices.

Originally from Argentina, Valeggia came to UC Davis in pursuit of a PhD, receiving a MS (1995) and then a PhD in Animal Behavior (1996). At the CNPRC, under the direction of Dr. Sally Mendoza, CNPRC Staff Scientist in the Brain, Mind, and Behavior Unit, she investigated female reproductive biology, and the effects of pair-bond and social context on male-female interactions in titi monkeys (Callicebus moloch).

Being an “excellent bench scientist”, Mendoza notes that Valeggia’s novel endocrine and immune assay techniques that she developed with nonhuman primates at the CNPRC continue to contribute to the current work on characterizing the neurobiology of the pair bond in titi monkeys. An excellent example of translational research, Valeggia has been applying these techniques to her research on reproductive transitions in human populations.

Reflecting on Valeggia’s time at the CNPRC, Mendoza states “I am proud of the accomplishments of all of my students, but Claudia is one of the best students I have had the opportunity of mentoring and I am in awe of the importance of the work she is doing for the women populating her study groups in the US, Central and South America.”

Advancing to Harvard University as a postdoctoral researcher, and then in 2005 to the University of Pennsylvania, Valeggia’s research focuses on the interactions between human reproductive biology and the ecological and cultural context in which it develops. Taking a biocultural approach, she concentrates on how the interplay between biology and culture takes a central role in interpreting reproductive patterns. Valeggia’s work with indigenous populations in Argentina and Guatemala, and with women in the US, has added an exciting interdisciplinary component to her research program that provides insights into reproductive processes in culturally changing populations.

Mindful of the importance of her research not only for the scientific communities, but also for the people she studies, Valeggia publishes in Spanish, as well as English, to make her work accessible to the local people and health organizations. She has joined forces with health agencies to facilitate delivery of information and health care, and takes care to maintain the highest scientific standards while at the same time making her work immediately useful.

“I have not met anyone that is familiar with Claudia’s work that is not impressed with its importance, quality, and clarity, and her scientific diversity.“ states Mendoza.

Valeggia's research at the CNPRC was supported by funds from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The CNPRC is supported by a grant from the National Center for Research Resources, a division of NIH.

New Research Project Tests Cure for HIV

CNPRC researchers are taking part in a consortium lead by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that aims to find ways to eradicate HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, from the body.

Antiretroviral drugs allow people infected with HIV to control virus levels and maintain relatively good health, but with current treatments the virus is never fully eliminated from the body. This research study will aid in understanding where and how HIV survives in the body and how it might be eliminated, laying the basis for designing clinical trials of these novel therapies in individuals infected with HIV.

CNPRC scientists Paul Luciw, professor at the Center for Comparative Medicine and the Department of Medical Pathology, and Koen van Rompay, research scientist at the CNPRC, will carry out testing of novel therapies in rhesus monkeys experimentally infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), which is genetically similar to HIV.

The consortium is named the Martin Delaney Collaboratory after Martin Delaney, an internationally recognized AIDS activist who died in 2009. The partners will undertake more than a dozen research projects to discover how the virus can remain dormant and virtually invisible, identify drugs and treatments capable of ridding the body of persistent infection and test these new strategies in animal models so that they can be translated into people.

The other universities taking part are: Case Western Reserve University; Johns Hopkins University; UCLA; UC San Diego; UC San Francisco; The Gladstone Institute; University of Minnesota, and the University of Utah. Scientists at Merck Research Laboratories are also collaborating.

Tenofovir Component of Successful Prophylaxis for HIV Prevention

Tenofovir (Viread), an antiretroviral HIV drug first shown by the CNPRC to be safe and effective in treating monkeys that were infected with SIV (Simian Immunodeficiency Virus), has once again been used as the key ingredient in a pair of successful HIV preventative studies. The two new studies, by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that daily pills formulated with tenofovir lowered the risk of HIV infection by up to 73% when given to uninfected heterosexual men and women in Africa who have an HIV-infected partner. This brings new hope for someday offering a medical shield against HIV infection.

Press Release: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/14/health/research/14aids.html
Research Rationale: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/prep/resources/qa/index.htm

Capitanio Honored as Fellow of APS

For his sustained and outstanding distinguished contributions to psychological science, Dr. John Capitanio was made a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science (APS) in June 2011 – “A total surprise and very nice honor”. Fellow status is awarded to APS Members after a minimum of 10 years of postdoctoral work who have made sustained outstanding contributions to the science of psychology in the areas of research, teaching, service, and/or application.

CNPRC Director Dr. Dallas Hyde has been distinguished in being named a Fellow of the American Association of Anatomists (AAA).  The rank of Fellow is designed to honor notable members who have demonstrated excellence in science and in their overall contributions to the anatomical sciences. 

The AAA was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1888, for the "advancement of anatomical science." Today, AAA is the professional home for an international community of biomedical researchers and educators focusing on anatomical form and function.  Dr. Hyde has served on the Program Committee and is an Associate Editor of Anatomical Record for the AAA.

Dr. Hyde's research at the CNPRC is focused on airways epithelial and inflammatory/immune cell interaction, which is important in maintaining the ability to combat infectious disease and remove and/or repair injured cells in the lungs. Lung growth, differentiation and aging, particularly under the perturbation of inhaled allergens and pollutants are other important research interests. His laboratory studies asthma, pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema in nonhuman primates as models for investigation into understanding human disease.

Joining the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine faculty in 1979, Dr. Hyde is a member of the Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Cell Biology, and served as chair from 1988 to 1998. He has also served as the School of Veterinary Medicine Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education from 1997 to 2002, and in 2000 was appointed Director of the California National Primate Research Center.

Dr. Hyde will be recognized at the AAA Annual Meetings Awards Banquet on Tuesday, April 12, 2011 in Washington, D.C., at the Convention in Experimental Biology.

Spinal Cord Research Shows Natural Recovery
Enhancing innate system has potential for better treatment options

Spinal cord research is being conducted with rhesus monkeys at the CNPRC, under the direction of Dr. Mark Tuszynski, Department of Neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

Tuszynski and Lead Researcher Dr. Ephron Rosenzweig, UC San Diego Department of Neurosciences, have just released research results from monkey studies that show undamaged neurons spontaneously stepping-in to fill the gap left by severed nerves after a minor spinal cord injury.  Up to 60 percent of the connections were restored within 24 weeks after injury.

The results were published Nov. 14 in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

Rosenzweig noted his surprise with the results, considering that this phenomenon has not been seen in the rat – the traditional research model for spinal injuries.

The work highlights an important role for primate models in translating basic scientific research into practical, therapeutic treatments for people. The spinal cords of humans and other primates are different from rodents, both in overall anatomy and in specific functions.  (Read more about the ethics of using primates in research).

Tuszynski’s team is continuing studies on how the nervous system is able to generate so much natural growth after injury. Since rhesus monkeys’ spinal cords and nervous system closely resemble that of humans, this research, and uncovering the mechanism by which the neurons re-grow, could lead to improved drug or gene treatment options in people with spinal cord injuries.

UC San Diego announced the research findings November 16, 2010.

2009 Illness Shown to be New Adenovirus in Titi Monkey Colony

UC Davis veterinary and human health experts today (Oct. 26) provided perspective on a newly identified virus that sickened monkeys and may have infected an employee at the campus’s California National Primate Research Center last year.

Successful HIV Protection

The 2010 XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria, was buzzing with excitement Monday, July 19th, with the announcement of successful trial results for the newly tested vaginal microbicide gel Caprisa, a recent addition to the arsenal in the fight against HIV infection in women. The Phase 2 clinical trial tested the safety and effectiveness of the gel among nearly 900 women at two sites in South Africa.

The success of Caprisa is believed to be due to the addition of the anti-retroviral drug tenofovir. Research by Dr. Koen Van Rompay at the CNPRC during the 1990s was the first to demonstrate that tenofovir (PMPA) was effective in treating animals that were infected with SIV (Simian Immunodeficiency Virus), laying the groundwork that led to human clinical trials. Also at the primate center, Dr. Chris Miller tested a tenofovir gel as a vaginal microbicide in the late 90s in the monkey model and found it to be effective. Tenofovir is now the most widely used anti-HIV drug in the world, with use in over 100 countries worldwide.

The proof of concept trials with Caprisa had an efficacy rate of 39% overall; however women who adhered strictly to the gel instructions had a 54% efficacy rate.

Another ongoing trial called VOICE (funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health), involves a daily-used tenofovir gel. Newly begun in the Fall of 2009, this study will enroll nearly 5,000 women in four African countries.

Some are calling this a historic day in the fight against HIV. Van Rompay notes how important animal research was to the early development of HIV prophylaxis regimes, and how important it continues to be as scientists develop new and more effective treatments.

First Annual Lung Research Day Symposium

The 1st Annual Lung Research Day Symposium was held on April 14th, 2010 at the Genome and Biomedical Sciences Facility on the UC Davis campus.  Over 110 participants representing UC Davis, industry, and government agencies spent a dynamic day attending seminars, discussing poster presentations, and networking with colleagues. This symposium celebrated the collaborative research efforts and multidisciplinary approach that have long been recognized at UC Davis for research in basic lung biology and pulmonary medicine.  Symposia session topics were focused on nonhuman primate models of lung disease, translational research projects, imaging and instrumentation approaches, and new findings in airway epithelial cell biology.

CNPRC Respiratory Diseases (RD) Unit Staff Scientists were an integral part of the day’s events, including Director Dallas Hyde, RD Unit Leader Lisa Miller, Edward Schelegle, and Kent Pinkerton.  Also participating were RD Unit Affiliate Scientists Mark Avdalovic, Mike Evans, Laura Van Winkle, and Reen Wu.

The event was co-hosted by the UC Davis Health System Clinical and Translational Science Center; the UC Davis School of Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and College of Engineering; and the California National Primate Research Center.

UC Davis Academic Federation and Academic Senate Awards for Excellence

Dr. Koen Van Rompay, Infectious Diseases Unit CNPRC, was honored in April as a recipient of the 2010 Academic Federation Award for Excellence in Research, recognizing his outstanding research efforts and professional accomplishments in the field of HIV/AIDS. Along with the professional recognition for his dedication to furthering our understanding of the biology, prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, Van Rompay will also receive a monetary award — “the $500 that I'll receive goes straight towards the kids of the Mother Teresa School in India”, one of the many groups that Van Rompay supports through his nonprofit organization, Sahaya International.

Van Rompay notes “My research accomplishments are only possible thanks to everyone's dedication here at the primate center…. I consider the award more for the whole primate center than just myself”.

Recognized by the Academic Senate with a 2010 Distinguished Teaching Award for Graduate/Professional Teaching was Dr. Lynne Isbell, UC Davis Professor of Anthropology and Animal Behavior. Isbell is regularly at the CNPRC, using the outdoor-housed rhesus macaque colonies to further her understanding of primate behavior and also to introduce her students to field research methods.

UC Davis Community Service Award Recognizes Van Rompay

Study finds link between mother’s milk and infant behavior

The quality and quantity of rhesus monkey breast milk has been found to send a signal to nursing infants, influencing the infant’s behavior and temperament.  Drs. Katie Hinde and John Capitanio of the CNPRC, in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution, recently published the results of this landmark research done at the primate center on the outdoor-housed Rhesus macaques. "Our results suggest that the milk energy available soon after birth may be a nutritional cue that calibrates the infant's behavior to environmental or maternal conditions", says lead author Katie Hinde.

The study found that milk from mothers who weighed more and had had previous pregnancies contained higher available energy when their infants were one month of age. Lighter, less experienced mothers produced milk with lower available energy.

The CNPRC and the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park used this natural variation in breast milk quality and quantity to present evidence that a mother’s milk sends a reliable signal to very young infants about their environment. This signal may program the infant’s behavior and temperament according to expectations of available resources and discourages temperaments that may prove risky when food is scarce.

Davis Enterprise: Thursday, April 1, 2010, "UC Davis study: Mom's milk affects monkey behavior"

Alice Tarantal, professor of pediatrics and director of the Center of Excellence in Translational Human Stem Cell Research was awarded grant funds that support work that creates new techniques and capabilities for stem cell research. Tarantal's project is looking at new ways to utilize in vivo imaging technology currently used in clinical settings for stem cell research.