The California National Primate Research Center began in 1962 as the National Center for Primate Biology. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) developed this primate center as the seventh of eight centers to serve primarily as a breeding colony of healthy animals for research. The early focus of the center was on procurement, housing, breeding, and nonhuman primate husbandry. The Center addressed conditions for housing and associated husbandry to ensure the healthiest of environments for the animals. Early in its history, the Center significantly advanced the quality of nonhuman primate research and nonhuman primate care.
In 1972, the CNPRC increased its collaboration with the Schools of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine and other campus schools and colleges. The primate center continued to improve and evolve, and in 2002, the Center was renamed the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) to focus on the role the Center plays in providing resources on a national level for human health-related research.
The CNPRC is now comprised of four research units, an Affiliate & Pilot Research Unit (APRU), and four service cores.
The research units include:
Brain, Mind, and Behavior;
Infectious Diseases;
Reproductive Sciences and Regenerative Medicine;
and Respiratory Diseases. The APRU provides an opportunity for investigators to pursue interests in other research areas that are beyond the major focus of the defined research units. The service cores include: Analytical and Resource Core; Behavior Assessment Core; Computational Imaging Core; and the Inhalation Exposure Facility Core. These service cores provide expertise and resources to the greater research community, and enhance the ability of scientists throughout the nation to conduct studies with nonhuman primates
Research projects conducted at the primate center are contributing in substantial ways to health care and are developing a better understanding of, and new treatments for, a wide range of human health problems including asthma, HIV/AIDS, childhood illnesses, Alzheimer’s disease, and environmental toxins that impact our health.
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