This competing revision application seeks additional support for the Yerkes Base Grant (P51 OD 11132) that will allow expansion of the rhesus macaque specific pathogen free (SPF) colony by the inclusion of SPF animals from the New England Primate Research Center (NEPRC). The YNPRC has recorded substantial progress in the present reporting period (5/1/2011 - present), as reflected in over 540 publications, construction of new animal facilities, and progressive expansion of its research funding base, even in the era of an extremely competitive NIH funding environment. The continued growth of our research base, coupled with the more specialized demands of investigators for genetically well-characterized nonhuman primates, have strained the capacity of our existing rhesus macaque SPF breeding colony, and resulted in the need to obtain significant numbers of animals from outside sources. With the support of ORIP leadership, Yerkes has partnered with the NEPRC to facilitate the transfer of approximately 135 SPF breeding animals from the NEPRC SPF colony. The incorporation of the animals into the Yerkes SPF breeding program will enhance the Center's ability to serve as a resource to core investigators and to scientists nationally and internationally, all for the ultimate goal of advancing human health. These supplemental activities are well-aligned with our central goals of supporting research programs focused on scientific problems relevant to human health, and providing the resource infrastructure and expertise in appropriate scientific and veterinary specialties to support such research.
The central mission of the Yerkes NPRC is to support research in the areas of infectious disease, neuroscience and transplantation that help advance human health. The additional resources provided by this revised application will support the expansion of our breeding colony of rhesus macaques at Yerkes by accepting the transfer of rhesus macaques from the New England Primate Research Center specific pathogen free breeding colony, thereby advancing our ability to support translational research here at Yerkes.
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