A Brief History of
the Regional Primate Research Centers
W. Richard Dukelow and Leo A. Whitehair.
Comparative Pathology Bulletin 27(3): 1-2, 1995.
The first major primate facility in the United States was established
in 1928 by Professor Robert M. Yerkes at Yale University.
This unit was devoted almost exclusively to behavioral observations and
was later moved to the warmer climes of Orange Park,
Florida.
In the spring of 1940, Dr. James Watt visited Puerto Rico to
investigate an outbreak of Shigella in a large colony of rhesus
monkeys held on an island named Cayo Santiago. In 1956, then
director of the National Heart Institute, Watt visited the
world-renowned U.S.S.R. Institute of Experimental Pathology and
Therapy at Sukhumi. From these experiences Watt recognized
the importance of large, government-supported primate research
facilities to aid in cardiovascular studies. Under his guidance,
efforts began to develop a primate research facility in the United
States.
Within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a planning
committee was formed under the chairmanship of Dr. George
Burch of Tulane University and met on September 25, 1957, in
Washington, D.C. Immediately, heated discussions arose on
whether other biomedical disciplines (besides cardiovascular)
should be included and whether the development should be of a
single "primate center" or of several "regional" primate centers.
The committee was large, but among its members were Drs. Leon
H. Schmidt (Cincinnati), Harry F. Harlow (Madison), and
Theodore C. Ruch (Seattle). It is significant that these three
individuals would eventually become the first directors of three of
the seven regional primate research centers.
In consultation with several influential politicians, primarily
Senator Lister Hill and Congressman Ralph Fogarty, it was believed that
the establishment of the centers program would
have a better chance of funding if a regional approach was adopted. In
1960, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees agreed to
appropriate $2 million to the NIH to establish
two primate centers. Over the next five years,
appropriations were added to allow the construction of six regional
centers and a"National Conditioning Center." The latter center's
mission was to carry out research on husbandry, transportation, and
management of various species of nonhuman primates.
Thirteen locations were initially considered for the
centers. Eventually, nine applications were received and six of these
were approved and arranged in priority. These were exciting times for
all the individuals and committees involved. Today there are many
"centers" of various biomedical disciplines, but at that time the NIH
had never established a biomedical research "center program." In later
years the regional primate research centers program would serve as a
model for NIH and other federal center programs.
It was originally planned that the first regional primate research
center was to be in Seattle and the second center was to be
in Oregon. However, through some committee maneuvering, this
order was reversed and the first center was dedicated in Beaverton,
Oregon, on May 6, 1962 under the direction of Dr. Donald E.
Pickering. Pickering established the administrative structure of
the center and began construction. He stepped down in 1963 and
was replaced by Dr. William Montagna of Brown University who
was to serve as director for the next 19 years.
In 1963, the center at Seattle was dedicated and in subsequent
years centers were established in Madison, WI (host institution:
University of Wisconsin); Southborough, MA (host institution:
Harvard University), Atlanta, GA (host institution: Emory University);
Covington, LA (host institution: Tulane University); and
Davis, CA (host institution: University of California-Davis). The
Atlanta center was named after Robert M. Yerkes and the
Covington center was initially called the Delta Regional Primate
Research Center, later changed to the Tulane Regional Primate
Research Center. The Davis center was initially considered the
national center and was called the National Primate Conditioning
Center. Several years later, however, its name was changed to
the National Center for Primate Biology and, still later, the center's
status was changed from national to regional and it was renamed
the California Regional Primate Research Center.
Two centers have well-established field stations, namely those
of the Yerkes center that is located near Lawrenceville, Georgia,
and of the Washington center that is located at Medical Lake,
Washington, near Spokane. The Wisconsin and Yerkes centers
have established collaborative working relationships with zoos.
With completion of construction at the Davis center, all seven
centers were firmly in place and beginning to make many valuable
contributions to biomedical research.
It has now been nearly 35 years since the first regional primate
research center was established. Twenty-three men and
women have served as primate center directors to date, the longest of
these for over 23 years. The original designations of assigned missions
have faded and intense research programs have
been established in many biomedical areas. Probably the most
impressive role of the centers was demonstrated in the early 1980s
when the AIDS epidemic became the scourge of the world. The
regional primate research centers rose to the occasion quickly by
their altering research objectives to study and develop the simian
immunodeficiency virus (SIV) macaque model for AIDS, the standard and
best animal model available for basic research on this
disease. Other major biomedical research related to human health
is underway in various areas, including cardiovascular, neurological,
reproductive, infectious disease, vision, aging, and diseases affecting
women's health. In addition, the United States primate research centers
network has served as a model for primate research facilities in other
countries throughout the world.
The seven centers currently have a total of 18,300 nonhuman
primates of 32 species. Research, both basic and applied, is carried
out by over 1,200 scientists at these centers. These include not only
the core staff scientists at each center, but also scientists
from other institutions in the United States and throughout the
world who come to the centers to conduct their research or carry
out collaborative projects. These collaborative projects are arranged
by contacting the respective center director and receiving
approval by appropriate committees at each center.
The regional primate research centers have strong obligations,
not only to research with nonhuman primates, but also to the
conservation of nonhuman primates in their native habitats.
Accordingly, field studies and conservation research is also carried
out by the centers.
For further information on the Regional Primate Research Centers
Program, readers are encouraged to contact Dr. Leo A.
Whitehair, Director, Comparative Medicine, National Center for
Research Resources, NIH, One Rockledge Centre, 6705
Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892. (301) 435-0744, FAX
(301) 480-3819.
