Committed to discovering causes, preventions, treatments, and cures.

Seven Centers. One Network.
Seven Centers. One Network.
Seattle, Washington
The Washington National Primate Research Center (WaNPRC) first began operating in 1961 and includes the following divisions: AIDS-Related Diseases, Global Programs, Neuroscience, NHP Systems Biology, and other related research support cores. Some key accomplishments of the WaNPRC include discoveries regarding the regeneration of heart muscle after heart attack and correcting the misperception that vaccinations can lead to autism.
Areas of Research
- Infectious Disease
- Neuroscience & Brain Disorders
- Reproduction & Endocrinology
Center Facts
- Founded in 1961
- 1,500+ nonhuman primates
- 150+ researchers and staff
Washington National Primate Research Center
Leadership: Dr. Michele A. Basso, Director
Beaverton, Oregon
The Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) was founded in 1962 and is an integral unit of Oregon’s only academic health center, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). ONPRC researchers have developed models in primates to ask key questions about the brain, vaccine development, metabolic disease, and reproduction. Many of these studies are only possible with ONPRC’s multi-generational, pedigreed colonies that originated in the early 1960s. Key accomplishments include improved understanding of the nutritional requirements of newborns; the ability to generate embryonic stem cells without a fertilized egg; and improved understanding of the connection between lifestyle choices and their effect on the genetics and health outcomes of our children and grandchildren.
Areas of Research
- Cardiovascular & Respiratory Diseases
- Development & Aging
- Infectious Disease
- Metabolic Disorders
- Neuroscience & Brain Disorders
- Reproduction & Endocrinology
Center Facts
- Founded in 1962
- 5,000+ nonhuman primates
- 400+ researchers and staff
Oregon National Primate Research Center
Madison, Wisconsin
The Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (WNPRC) opened as part of the National Primate Research Centers in 1961. The center has strong research and teaching links to the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health and School of Veterinary Medicine. Recent discoveries made by WNPRC scientists include calorie restriction playing a role in prolonging nonhuman primate lives; listeria as a miscarriage threat in early pregnancy; and Zika unlikely to be spread through casual contact such as kissing or sharing a fork or spoon.
Areas of Research
- Infectious Disease
- Metabolic Disorders
- Neuroscience & Brain Disorders
- Reproduction & Endocrinology
Center Facts
- Founded in 1961
- 1,500+ nonhuman primates
- 175+ researchers and staff
Wisconsin National Primate Research Center
Davis, California
The California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) opened in 1962 and was originally known as the National Center for Primate Biology. The Center was developed to serve as a breeding colony of healthy animals for research and establish optimal housing conditions to ensure the healthiest of environments for the animals. In 2002, the Center was renamed the CNPRC to focus on providing resources on a national level for human health-related research. Important CNPRC research contributions include the development of tenofovir, a commonly used anti-HIV drug, and discovering the association of infant temperament with asthma.
Areas of Research
- Neuroscience & Brain Disorders
- Cardiovascular & Respiratory Diseases
- Infectious Disease
- Neuroscience & Brain Disorders
- Reproduction & Endocrinology
- Transplant Biology & Regenerative Medicine
Center Facts
- Founded in 1962
- 4,000+ nonhuman primates
- 65 faculty, fellows and graduate students
- 300+ collaborators worldwide
California National Primate Research Center
San Antonio, Texas
In 1999, the Southwest National Primate Research Center (SNPRC) became the first new National Primate Research Center (NPRC) in more than 35 years. SNPRC’s host institution, Texas Biomedical Research Institute (Texas Biomed), has a long, productive history of nonhuman primate research, starting in the 1950s. SNPRC is the only institution with both a National Primate Research Center and a Biosafety Containment Level 4 laboratory, and acts as home to the world’s largest and best characterized pedigreed primate population. Currently, SNPRC scientists are working on developing vaccines and therapies and understanding the underlying causes of chronic and infectious diseases.
Areas of Research
- Development & Aging
- Infectious Disease
- Genetics & Genomics
- Transplant Biology & Regenerative Medicine
Center Facts
- Founded in 1999
- 2,900+ nonhuman primates
- 350+ researchers and staff
Southwest National Primate Research Center
Covington, Louisiana
Tulane National Primate Research Center (TNPRC) opened in November 1964 as the Delta Regional Primate Research Center. Research at the Tulane National Primate Research Center is focused on human health problems that require the use of nonhuman primates to understand the disease. Some key accomplishments of the TNPRC include scientific discoveries involving the origin and pathogenesis of AIDS, Lyme disease, and malaria.
Areas of Research
- Infectious Disease
Center Facts
- Founded in 1964
- 4,500+ nonhuman primates
- 300+ researchers and staff
Tulane National Primate Research Center
Atlanta, Georgia
The Emory National Primate Research Center was originally named the Yale Anthropoid Experiment Station upon its 1930 opening in Orange Park, Florida. That center, subsequently named Yale Laboratories of Primate Biology and later the Yerkes National Primate Research Center for the center’s first director, Dr. Robert M. Yerkes, led the way for today’s NIH-funded National Primate Research Center (NPRC) program. Currently, Emory researchers are advancing vaccine development for infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS, paving the way for earlier diagnosis of and new treatments for life-changing illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, defining the basic neurobiology and genetics of social behavior to support developing new therapies for autism spectrum and other disorders as well as drug addiction, and determining how interactions between genetics and the environment shape who we are.
Areas of Research
- Behavior & Psychology
- Development & Aging
- Genetics & Genomics
- Infectious Disease
- Neuroscience & Brain Disorders
- Reproduction & Endocrinology
Center Facts
- Founded in 1930
- 3,000+ nonhuman primates
- 600 researchers and staff
Emory National Primate Research Center
Areas of Research
NPRC Timeline
