Even after the fever and cough are gone, some people continue to feel unwell following a case of COVID-19 or seasonal flu.  Tulane National Biomedical Research Center (NBRC) scientist Dr. Xuebin Qin and colleagues set out to understand which long-term effects are shared between COVID-19 and the flu, and which may be unique to COVID-19.

The Study

Their new study, published in Frontiers in Immunology, compared how SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) and influenza affect the body after the acute infection has resolved. Using a carefully controlled mouse model, the team examined lung and brain tissue weeks after infection to identify what kind of biological “footprint” each virus leaves behind. While animal models cannot capture every aspect of human disease, they allow researchers to closely examine biological changes that are difficult to study in patients. The findings may help explain why both COVID-19 and the flu can leave behind lasting lung problems, while long COVID is more often linked to neurological symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue and mood changes.

When researchers studied the lungs, they saw a similar pattern after both infections. Immune cells remained more active than normal instead of fully standing down, and there was an increased buildup of collagen, a protein associated with scarring. These changes can stiffen lung tissue and make breathing feel harder, offering a potential biological explanation for why some people have persistent shortness of breath after respiratory infections.

What Was Discovered

A key difference emerged when the team examined how the lungs were trying to heal. After influenza, the lungs showed signs of switching into repair mode: specialized cells moved into damaged areas to rebuild the lining of the airways. After COVID-19, that repair response appeared to be limited. This suggests that SARS-CoV-2 may interfere with the lung’s natural healing process, potentially setting the stage for longer recovery and lasting respiratory symptoms.

The most striking findings came from the brain. Even though neither virus was detectable in brain tissue at the time of analysis, mice that had recovered from COVID-19 still showed signs of ongoing brain inflammation. The researchers also observed small areas of bleeding earlier in the infection, pointing to potential damage to tiny blood vessels.

Gene expression analysis revealed that inflammatory signaling remained elevated, and that key pathways related to serotonin and dopamine regulation were disrupted. These chemical systems are closely tied to mood, cognition and energy levels, which are frequently affected in people with long COVID. In contrast, brains from influenza-infected animals showed far fewer of these persistent changes.

“In both infections, we observed lasting lung injury,” Qin noted. “But long-term effects in the brain were unique to SARS-CoV-2. That distinction is critical to understanding long COVID.”

Connecting Infection, Blood Vessels and The Brain

The findings suggest that inflammation and damage to small blood vessels in the brain may play a role in long-lasting neurological symptoms. Even without the virus present, these changes can affect how brain cells communicate.

By clearly defining these biological changes, researchers at Tulane NBRC are helping to create a roadmap for future clinical studies. The patterns they identified could guide how clinicians monitor patients after infection, which biomarkers to track, and which pathways might be most promising for new therapies aimed at preventing or reducing lasting damage.

Why This Matters for Patients and Future Therapies

By directly comparing COVID-19 with flu in the same experimental framework, Tulane NBRC investigators provide a clearer picture of which long-term issues are shared across severe respiratory infections, and which are specific to SARS-CoV-2. That knowledge can help clinicians and scientists focus their efforts on where they are most likely to make a difference for patients still waiting to feel fully recovered.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is one of the most common viruses people encounter, often causing mild or unnoticeable symptoms in healthy adults and children. However, when a person contracts a first-time CMV infection during pregnancy, the virus can cross the placenta and pose serious risks to the developing fetus, including lifelong hearing loss and neurodevelopmental problems. CMV is the world’s most commonly transmitted mother-to-child infection, yet the mechanisms of how this happens across pregnancy have been poorly understood. 

To shed light on this critical gap, researchers at the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center (Tulane NBRC) conducted a study using a nonhuman primate model that closely mirrors human pregnancy. This model allows scientists to observe how the virus interacts with the immune system and the placenta in a living system – something that can’t be replicated in a non-animal model (NAM). Researchers followed pregnancies in animals that encountered the virus for the first time in the second trimester, monitoring maternal health, placental tissues and fetal development over time. 

The research team led by Dr. Amitinder Kaur found that CMV did not behave the same way in every pregnancy. Some pregnancies showed brief or low‑level signs of infection, while others had more extensive viral involvement. Across almost all cases, however, the virus was detected in the placenta, even when fetal tissues showed little or no virus. Notably, pregnancies with higher levels of virus in placental tissues tended to have smaller fetuses at birth, suggesting that the virus may affect fetal growth even without direct fetal infection.  

By comparing immune markers in mothers and fetuses, the researchers also identified patterns that may predict a higher risk of transmission. Elevated levels of certain inflammatory signals and changes in other immune factors were linked to cases where the virus crossed the placenta more readily. These potential biomarkers could one day help clinicians identify which pregnancies need closer monitoring or targeted interventions.  

Why it matters: Congenital CMV is a major public health concern because there is currently no approved vaccine to prevent it, and existing strategies can’t reliably stop transmission. By mapping how CMV crosses the placenta and influences fetal outcomes, this work from Tulane NBRC lays crucial groundwork for identifying at-risk pregnancies and informing the development of vaccines or other preventive approaches in the future. 

A new investigational treatment for Parkinson’s disease is showing early promise in its first human clinical trial, thanks in part to foundational work at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (WNPRC).  

Parkinson’s disease gradually kills dopaminergic neurons that produce the chemical messenger dopamine, disrupting communication between brain regions that control movement. Standard treatments such as L‑DOPA can boost dopamine levels and reduce symptoms, but their effectiveness often wanes over time, and they do not replace the lost cells. 

In the Phase 1/2a ASPIRO trial, run by biotechnology company Aspen Neuroscience, patients receive transplants of dopamine-producing neurons grown from their own cells, which are then delivered to affected areas of the brain. 

Aspen Neuroscience recently announced that it will enroll a third patient cohort after reporting that participants are safely tolerating the treatment and showing encouraging improvements in Parkinson’s symptoms. According to the company, early data from the first four patients indicate that intracranial delivery of these cells is safe and well tolerated, with both patient-reported and clinician-reported measures showing positive results. Unlike typical organ transplants, because the neurons are derived from each patient’s own induced pluripotent stem cells—a fully autologous approach—no long-term immunosuppressive drugs are required. 

Although UW–Madison is not a clinical site for ASPIRO, scientists at the university and WNPRC played a key role in getting the therapy ready for first-in-human testing. In 2024, a team led by UW–Madison medical physics professor and WNPRC investigator Marina Emborg, M.D., Ph.D., successfully transplanted human progenitor cells into the brains of macaque monkeys. These progenitors were programmed to become dopamine-producing neurons, the same type of cells lost in Parkinson’s disease. Aspen supplied the human cell lines and specialized delivery equipment, while the Emborg lab optimized the surgical approach in nonhuman primates. 

Aspen scientists and WNPRC researchers refined a delivery method that uses MRI-guided neurosurgical techniques to place very small volumes of cells—just a few microliters at a time—into the areas of the brain where they are needed. The 2024 study in macaques focused on demonstrating that Aspen’s human cells could be delivered safely and effectively with fewer surgical passes, reducing risk while still reaching the target area of the brain. Results from this work, published in the Journal of Neurosurgery, supported Aspen’s successful application to begin the ASPIRO trial. 

The ASPIO trial research builds on earlier successes at UW–Madison, where Dr. Emborg and Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health scientist Su‑Chun Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., previously reversed Parkinson’s-like symptoms in nonhuman primates using an autologous cell graft approach. Together, these studies helped validate the concept that individualized cell replacement can restore function in a Parkinson’s model and informed critical details such as cell preparation, quality control and surgical logistics. 

For Dr. Emborg and her colleagues at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, seeing the first human patients receive the therapy has been a powerful milestone. Years of iterative work in nonhuman primates—testing cell lines, refining delivery tools and optimizing postoperative care—directly shaped how the ASPIRO trial is conducted today. The early human results offer hope that this carefully developed approach could one day provide people with Parkinson’s disease a new option that goes beyond symptom management to address the underlying cell loss. 

As the ASPIRO trial progresses, the partnership between Aspen Neuroscience, UW–Madison and WNPRC underscores how translational nonhuman primate research can help bridge the gap between laboratory discoveries and first-in-human therapies, particularly for complex neurological diseases. 

Today the NPRCs led a coordinated response to voice concerns about a recent CDC plan to transfer approximately 160 macaques to the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary.

In collaboration with more than 20 scientific, veterinary and biomedical research organizations, institutions and others, the NPRCs sent a letter to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya requesting a transparent retirement plan that prioritizes the welfare, safety, behavioral stability and long-term quality of life for the macaques. The current CDC plan is inconsistent with best practices for introducing adult macaques into a large social group setting, putting their welfare at risk.

The letter also calls into question the sanctuary’s staffing and expertise to safely carry out a transition of this magnitude and complexity. In addition, the signatories raise additional concerns regarding the validity and accuracy of the CDC’s sole source justification for selecting Born Free as the only qualified retirement option.

The signatories emphasize the welfare of these macaques must be the overriding priority in any retirement decision.

Read the full letter here.

Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is shedding light on how vitamin C supplementation during pregnancy could help protect babies from some of the harmful effects of maternal smoking. 

The Problem: Smoking and Pregnancy 

Smoking during pregnancy is known to harm fetal development, particularly the lungs, brain, kidneys, and blood vessels. Nicotine crosses the placenta, directly impacting the growing fetus and often leading to long-term respiratory issues for children born to mothers who smoke. 

The Study: Can Vitamin C Help? 

Researchers at OHSU, led by Dr. Eliot Spindel and Dr. Cindy McEvoy, conducted a clinical trial involving pregnant women who were unable to quit smoking. All participants received a standard prenatal vitamin with 60 mg of vitamin C, but one group also received an additional 500 mg of vitamin C daily. 

Key Findings: Improved Placental Blood Flow 

Using Doppler ultrasound, the team measured blood flow in the umbilical cord. They found that vitamin C supplementation improved placental blood flow in smokers, bringing it closer to the levels seen in nonsmokers. Examining placentas after birth, researchers also observed improved blood vessel development and overall placental function in babies whose mothers received extra vitamin C. 

“It is clear that placental development is abnormal in women who smoke. …In this human clinical trial, it is important to note that some, but not all, abnormalities were prevented by vitamin C intake,” said Dr. Spindel. 

Long-Term Benefits for Babies 

Follow-up studies showed that children born to mothers who took extra vitamin C had better lung function at 3 months, 12 months, and even at age 5 compared to those whose mothers did not receive the supplement. 

Limitations and Continued Risks 

While vitamin C supplementation improved some aspects of placental and fetal health, it did not prevent all the negative effects of smoking during pregnancy. Risks such as premature birth, reduced brain development, and stunted growth remain, and vitamin C does not address these issues. 

Why Not Just Quit Smoking? 

Despite public health efforts, more than half of women who smoke continue during pregnancy. Nicotine is highly addictive, and genetic factors can make quitting especially difficult for some individuals. Importantly, the study also notes that nicotine from vaping and other products likely poses similar risks to fetal development. 

What’s Next? 

Vitamin C supplementation during pregnancy may help mitigate some of the harm caused by smoking, particularly by improving placental blood flow and supporting better lung function in children. However, quitting smoking remains the best way to protect both maternal and fetal health.

Texas Biomedical Research Institute (Texas Biomed) has uncovered new insights into the lifespan of nonhuman primates in captivity. Dr. Hillary F. Huber and her team, including collaborators from Wake Forest University, have compiled the largest database to date on primate lifespans, challenging long-held assumptions and providing crucial information for future research. 

The study, which included data from 12 primate species across 15 institutes, including all seven National Primate Research Centers, revealed that the median lifespan for many primates used in biomedical research is lower than previously reported. For example, baboons, often thought to live up to 37.5 years, were found to have a maximum observed lifespan of 30 years in research settings, with a median age at death of just 11.5 years. 

This discrepancy highlights the importance of using median age rather than maximum lifespan when considering animal models for human aging research. As Dr. Huber points out, “Having a more accurate understanding of how long nonhuman primates live in captivity is essential for researchers to correctly correlate health and disease observations in primates to humans.” 

The study’s strict methodology—limited to animals with known birth dates and death dates who died naturally or were humanely euthanized after developing a serious disease such as cancer—ensures robust data. This approach provides a more accurate picture of primate health span – the length of healthy life free from major diseases – which aligns closely with current geroscience research focusing on improving quality of life throughout the human lifespan. 

The Southwest National Primate Research Center at Texas Biomed played a critical role in this study, contributing valuable data and expertise. This collaborative effort underscores the commitment of National Primate Research Centers to improve animal care, medical treatments and research methods – all supporting the broader goal of advancing animal and human health. 

A study led by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) reveals that using cannabis during pregnancy may negatively affect fetal lung development and future respiratory health. The findings, published in the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, are the first to directly examine how maternal THC consumption impacts offspring respiratory health using a nonhuman primate model. 

Key Findings from ONPRC Research 

The research team, including Dr. Jamie Lo and colleagues at OHSU, administered daily THC edibles to pregnant nonhuman primates and compared them to a placebo group. They used fetal MRI scans to assess lung development during pregnancy and performed pulmonary function tests on the infants at six months old. 

Results showed that prenatal THC exposure led to significantly decreased lung volume starting early in fetal development, a difference that persisted at six months of age. The study also found changes in lung gene expression and DNA methylation, which may help explain why the effects of THC exposure during pregnancy could last a lifetime. These changes could increase the risk of children developing chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma later in life. 

Rising Cannabis Use and the Need for Evidence-Based Guidance 

Cannabis use during pregnancy is becoming more common, especially in the first trimester, as some expectant mothers turn to THC products to manage symptoms like morning sickness. However, limited data on the safety of cannabis in pregnancy has left many patients and clinicians without clear guidance on the risks involved. 

Dr. Lo, the study’s lead author, emphasizes the importance of these findings for healthcare providers and patients.  

Dr. Eliot Spindel, senior author and professor at ONPRC, added, “Children born with decreased lung function at birth are more likely to follow a lower trajectory of lung function as they age, increasing their risk to develop childhood asthma and respiratory diseases as adults.”  

What’s Next 

The ONPRC team hopes their research will help inform evidence-based recommendations regarding cannabis use during pregnancy and guide clinicians in counseling their patients. While more research is needed to fully understand the long-term effects, this study raises important concerns about the potential impact of prenatal THC exposure on respiratory health. 

The Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) is at the forefront of providing hope for patients who face life-threatening conditions.

Take Batten disease, a fatal neurodegenerative disorder for which there is no cure. In 2018, researchers at the ONPRC identified a naturally occurring mutation in Japanese macaques that mimics Batten disease in people; this specific species of macaque is the only known nonhuman primate model in which the condition occurs naturally. The ONPRC team’s long-term stewardship and care of this unique research species continue to provide hope for curing a terminal disorder.

Similarly, recent news about the development of the first personalized gene therapy for “Baby KJ” catalyzed a new treatment pathway toward individualized therapies for rare diseases. The integrative research approach included new approach methodologies (NAMs) and studies in long-tailed macaques (LTMs) to assess safety before treatment (Musunuru et al., 2025).

Both examples emphasize the continuing need for research with animals.

If the United States is serious about making our country healthy, we must protect the full research ecosystem that makes discovering causes, preventions, treatments and cures possible. That structure includes NAMs and research with NHPs when no other scientific models are appropriate. Anything less stands to jeopardize scientific rigor, safety and validity, stall movement toward future breakthroughs and even stop work that holds the promise of improved health for our nation and world.

The fight against HIV has seen remarkable progress, thanks in large part to foundational research at the Washington National Primate Research Center (WaNPRC). While recent headlines rightfully celebrate the FDA approval of new HIV drugs like Yeztugo (lenacapavir, for pre-exposure prophylaxis, PrEP) and Sunlenca (for treatment), the story behind these breakthrough drugs began years earlier in the labs of WaNPRC. 

WaNPRC’s involvement in HIV research stretches back decades. In the mid-1990s, Dr. Che-Chung Tsai demonstrated that an experimental drug, tenofovir, could completely protect pigtail macaques from Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV), a virus closely related to HIV and causes AIDS, when given before or after exposure. This study directly led to the development of Truvada, a drug that has reduced HIV transmission globally for over 20 years, by Gilead Pharmaceuticals. Building on this success, researchers turned to WaNPRC’s expertise again to test lenacapavir (now Yeztugo/Sunlenca) in nonhuman primates, ensuring its safety and effectiveness before human trials. 

Why non-human primates? Female pigtail macaques are especially valuable for HIV research because their reproductive biology closely mirrors that of humans, making them ideal for studying antivirals and vaccines that could prevent vaginal and rectal transmission of the virus—key routes for HIV in both men and women. This translational research bridge is critical because findings in the lab must be validated in nonhuman primates before moving to human studies. 

The impact of these advancements is profound. With 1.1 million Americans living with HIV and persistent challenges in PrEP access and adherence, a twice-yearly injection like Yeztugo could significantly boost prevention efforts. Meanwhile, Sunlenca offers new hope for those already living with HIV, used in combination with other therapies. 

WaNPRC’s work isn’t done. Researchers like Dr. Rodney Ho are developing even longer-acting HIV drug combinations, with some already entering human trials. These innovations promise to further extend life expectancy, reduce healthcare burdens, and improve quality of life for patients. 

The stories of Yeztugo and Sunlenca are a testament to the essential role of primate research centers like WaNPRC in turning scientific discoveries into real-world solutions. Their ongoing commitment to this research and key role in the development of these next generation HIV treatments and preventatives will continue to save lives and shape the future of global health. 

How NPRC Research Accelerated HIV Advances From 2020–2025

From breakthroughs in prevention to promising treatments, the National Primate Research Centers (NPRCs) have played a crucial role in advancing HIV research. Working with nonhuman primates, the closest biomedical model to humans, NPRC researchers have tackled some of HIV’s biggest challenges: viral persistence, brain invasion, co-infections and the limits of current therapies. Together, these discoveries mark some of the most significant progress toward long-term remission and potential cures in decades.

Strengthening Vaccines and Early Prevention

NPRC advances include efforts to block infection before it starts. Researchers at the Emory National Primate Research Center (ENPRC) at Emory University showed that an Env-plus-Gag HIV vaccine regimen in rhesus macaques provided durable protection from SHIV, the simian version of HIV, even when neutralizing antibody levels were low. This finding expanded thinking around the types of immune responses a successful vaccine must generate.

At the same time, Oregon NPRC scientists found that leronlimab, a monoclonal antibody that blocks the CCR5 co-receptor, effectively prevented SHIV infection in nonhuman primate models. Already tested in human studies for viral suppression, the antibody also showed promise as a PrEP-style preventive option.

Targeting HIV’s Hidden Reservoirs

Because HIV hides in tissues the immune system can’t easily reach, several NPRC studies focused on uncovering and disrupting these viral reservoirs. ENPRC scientists discovered that the anti-inflammatory molecule IL-10 helps HIV-infected cells survive in lymph nodes. Blocking IL-10, alongside antiretroviral therapy (ART), reduced the number of infected reservoir cells, marking an important step toward weakening HIV’s stronghold.

Researchers at Emory NPRC also identified specialized follicle-infiltrating NK cells capable of entering B-cell follicles in lymph nodes, one of HIV’s most protected hiding places. These findings point toward future therapies that could guide immune cells directly into viral reservoir sites.

Additional “shock and kill” studies at Wisconsin NPRC showed that both latency-reversing drugs and checkpoint inhibitor combinations can reactivate dormant virus while nonhuman primates are on ART, laying groundwork for strategies that flush HIV out of hiding.

Immune-Based Therapies Move Toward Functional Cure

By 2024, several NPRC collaborations delivered results that brought the field closer to long-term remission without lifelong treatment. A landmark study testing N-803 (IL-15 superagonist) plus broadly neutralizing antibodies achieved long-lasting viral control in most SHIV-infected macaques even after ART was stopped. The findings have now progressed to early-phase human clinical trials.

Emory NPRC researchers also identified a particularly potent subset of CD8⁺ T cells (TCF1⁺CD39⁺) that excel at controlling SIV and resisting exhaustion. The importance of these cells has been confirmed also in people with HIV and may become powerful tools in future immunotherapies.

Understanding HIV in the Brain

Another major advancement came from California NPRC, where researchers discovered how HIV enters and persists in the brain. Their work showed that CD4 T cells can inadvertently carry virus into neural tissue, helping explain why HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders persist even when ART is effective.

Addressing Co-Infections and Real-World Treatment Needs

HIV rarely exists in isolation. In 2025, Texas Biomed and the Southwest NPRC demonstrated that a promising tuberculosis therapy did not interfere with combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) used to treat HIV, supporting its safe use in people co-infected with HIV and TB. Because the drug is already FDA-approved for use in cancer patients, it could accelerate potential approval for TB/HIV treatment compared to developing an entirely new drug.

A Path Toward Remission

Building on these advances, Emory NPRC researchers reported one of the strongest signals yet that a functional cure for HIV may be achievable. In a stringent SIV model, a targeted combination therapy, blocking two negative regulators of the immune system, IL-10 and PD-1, enabled durable control of viral rebound in 9 of 10 nonhuman primates for six months after ART ended, an unprecedented result that strengthens the path toward future human trials. This is a direct proof of concept that the immune system can be harnessed with immune-based interventions to control HIV.

The Bottom Line

Between 2020 and 2025, NPRC research meaningfully advanced the HIV landscape. Through innovative vaccine approaches, better understanding of persistence, targeted immune strategies and real-world treatment insights, the NPRCs have laid essential groundwork for an era in which long-term HIV remission, and ultimately a cure, becomes an attainable goal.