This application is a competing renewal of the ?Chimpanzee Biomedical Research Resource? (CBRR), U42 OD011197 that has received continuous NIH support for 40 years. With this renewal application, we have changed the name of this cooperative agreement from the ?Chimpanzee Biomedical Research Resource? to the ?National Center for Chimpanzee Care? (NCCC) to more accurately reflect the mission of the program. The November 18, 2015 announcement from the office of the director of the NIH to eliminate biomedical research with NIH-owned or -supported chimpanzees has been anticipated for several years. The NCCC has not conducted research that would be regarded as ?biomedical? or ?invasive? with chimpanzees since 2012. The NCCC has refocused its efforts on developing non-invasive, behavioral research that has resulted in publication of 44 peer-reviewed journal articles, 27 abstracts, 13 book chapters, and 7 other publications since September 1, 2011. Studies done at the NCCC are accomplished with voluntary participation in research activities that also function as environmental enrichment. In addition to the continuing scientific contributions, the NCCC continues to raise the standard of care for captive chimpanzees through improvements in husbandry, veterinary medical care, and end-of-life care. We developed and published a Quality of Life Program which has subsequently been provided to other facilities housing chimpanzees (Lambeth et al., 2013). Our Quality of Life Program is a living document that is continually evolving (see appendix: Keeling Center Quality of Life Program for Chimpanzees). We continue to train caregivers from other chimpanzee housing facilities and sanctuaries so that they can benefit from the expertise of the NCCC. In the coming grant period, the NCCC will continue to make contributions to the scientific literature, continue to raise the standard of care for captive chimpanzees, and develop ways to improve care for the growing geriatric population of chimpanzees. Chimpanzees in the NCCC live in large outdoor habitats in established social groups. Many of these groups are composed of multi-generational families who have been housed together for many years. In summary, the NCCC will continue to develop ways to improve the quality of life and the standard of care for chimpanzees by conducting non-invasive, voluntary studies that 1) teach us about chimpanzees, 2) teach us how to appropriately care for chimpanzees, 3) provide `functionally appropriate captive environments' and 4) conduct research that helps improve our understanding of the behavior and biology of both chimpanzees and human beings.

Public Health Relevance

The National Center for Chimpanzee Care (NCCC) provides a home for 139 chimpanzees that are owned by the NIH. Many of these chimpanzees were once used in biomedical research, but have only participated in non-invasive studies since 2012. The NCCC has a long history of providing outstanding housing environments and the highest standard of care for chimpanzees.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Office of The Director, National Institutes of Health (OD)
Type
Animal (Mammalian and Nonmammalian) Model, and Animal and Biological Materials Resource Cooperative Agreements (U42)
Project #
5U42OD011197-18
Application #
9535500
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1)
Program Officer
Hild, Sheri Ann
Project Start
2000-09-01
Project End
2021-08-31
Budget Start
2018-09-01
Budget End
2019-08-31
Support Year
18
Fiscal Year
2018
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Department
Veterinary Sciences
Type
Overall Medical
DUNS #
800772139
City
Houston
State
TX
Country
United States
Zip Code
77030
Neal Webb, Sarah J; Hau, Jann; Schapiro, Steven J (2018) Captive chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) behavior as a function of space per animal and enclosure type. Am J Primatol 80:e22749
Watson, Stuart K; Lambeth, Susan P; Schapiro, Steven J et al. (2018) Chimpanzees prioritise social information over pre-existing behaviours in a group context but not in dyads. Anim Cogn 21:407-418
Hopkins, William D (2018) A review of performance asymmetries in hand skill in nonhuman primates with a special emphasis on chimpanzees. Prog Brain Res 238:57-89
Vale, Gillian L; Davis, Sarah J; Lambeth, Susan P et al. (2017) Acquisition of a socially learned tool use sequence in chimpanzees: Implications for cumulative culture. Evol Hum Behav 38:635-644
Latzman, Robert D; Schapiro, Steven J; Hopkins, William D (2017) Triarchic Psychopathy Dimensions in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Investigating Associations with Genetic Variation in the Vasopressin Receptor 1A Gene. Front Neurosci 11:407
Hopkins, William D; Meguerditchian, Adrien; Coulon, Olivier et al. (2017) Motor skill for tool-use is associated with asymmetries in Broca's area and the motor hand area of the precentral gyrus in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Behav Brain Res 318:71-81
Hopkins, William D; Coulon, Oliver; Meguerditchian, Adrien et al. (2017) Genetic Factors and Orofacial Motor Learning Selectively Influence Variability in Central Sulcus Morphology in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). J Neurosci 37:5475-5483
Watson, Stuart K; Reamer, Lisa A; Mareno, Mary Catherine et al. (2017) Socially transmitted diffusion of a novel behavior from subordinate chimpanzees. Am J Primatol 79:
Vale, Gillian L; Davis, Sarah J; van de Waal, Erica et al. (2017) Lack of conformity to new local dietary preferences in migrating captive chimpanzees. Anim Behav 124:135-144
Nehete, Pramod N; Magden, Elizabeth R; Nehete, Bharti P et al. (2017) Age- and Sex-associated Differences in Phenotypic and Functional Characteristics of Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci 56:509-519

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