Oregon National Primate Research Center - Hillsboro, OR
Posted by: 
dkestrel
N 45° 31.441 W 122° 52.489
10T E 509775 N 5041171
The Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) is one of eight federally funded National Primate Research Centers in the United States and has been affiliated with Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) since 1998.
Waymark Code: WMJX88
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 01/10/2014
Views: 16
The center is located on 350 acres (1.4 km2) of land west of Portland, Oregon, in Hillsboro. Originally known as the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center (ORPRC), it was the first of the original seven primate centers established by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The research center is administered and funded by the National Center for Research Resources, receiving $11 million in federal grants annually.
The center maintains a colony of 4,200 non-human primates (consisting of rhesus monkeys, Japanese macaques, vervets, baboons and cynomolgus macaques) cared for by 12 veterinarians and 100 full-time technicians.
The primates are used in pure and applied biomedical research into fertility control, early embryo development, obesity, brain development and degeneration, and newly emerging viruses, especially AIDS-related agents. Research projects at the facility have produced some notable findings, such as the first successful cloning of primate embryos and extraction of stem cells, which was named the number one scientific achievement of 2007 by Time.
In 1988, the Center adds the Cooley Center for Cell and Molecular Biology to the campus, followed by the Animal Services Building in 1992. OHSU takes over in 1998 when the center is merged into the university. In 2002, the Center is renamed from the Oregon Regional Primate Center to the current name after the NIH changes the designation of all the primate research centers.
Scientists at the Oregon National Primate Research Center have published several research projects which have a made significant impact on health sciences.
In 2007, ONPRC scientists were the first to utilize cloning to reproduce primate embryos, and then extract embryonic stem cells — a procedure only previously performed in rodents, and which garnered expectations of being reproduced in humans. This breakthrough was named the number one scientific achievement of the year by Time magazine. In 2011, the center cloned chimeric monkeys using stem cells from six different monkeys, also a first.
Researchers have identified factors that prevent the repair of brain damage caused by multiple sclerosis, complications of premature birth, and other diseases; as well as a key gene that impacts the timing of puberty and can shorten the time span for reproduction.
Recent publications have suggested that a component of the immune system damaged by AIDS might be replaceable, and have indicated a way to detect intra-amniotic infections in non-human primates, which may result in the development of a test for infections that cause premature birth in humans.
Findings in the area of obesity research include the role of the hormone leptin in causing/preventing obesity, how leptin resistance occurs and can be reversed, how a high-fat diet during pregnancy affects the foetus, how the natural hormone PYY can cause limited weight loss, and how reduced caloric intake may slow aging and weakening of the immune system.
Address:
505 NW 185th Ave
Beaverton, OR USA
97006
Website: [Web Link]
Main Field of Science: Medical sciences
Sector: Higher Education
|
Visit Instructions:
Describe your experience at the waymark. Also include at least one original photo of the waymark.