To advance human health through cutting edge multidisciplinary, collaborative, translational research in nonhuman primates.
- Focus on engagement of translational teams to pursue program-level collaborative research opportunities
- Leverage existing nonhuman primate (NHP) research expertise and resources to advance and expand innovative translational research
- Align with institutional research priorities including Aging, Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes and Obesity, Alzheimer’s Disease, Neurosciences, Substance Misuse Research, Infectious Disease, and Regenerative Medicine
- Provide incentives (pilot funding and project development support) for collaborative, translational engagement by Center members
- Provide leadership and guidance for stewardship of institutional NHP resources
- Facilitate the acquisition of additional high-end equipment and facilities
- Conduct training in basic and translational NHP research
Goal 1: Establish a multi-disciplinary translational NHP Research Center to provide leadership and productive collaboration both intramurally within the Advocate/AWFBH ALHC framework and more broadly with the greater research community.
Goal 2: Engage and support the development of translational multidisciplinary teams to pursue program-level funding opportunities in a goal-oriented manner to address questions of high relevance to our human patient population. To this end, we will:
- Establish focused translational working groups
- Provide pilot funding for novel collaborative research projects
- Support and develop our ongoing training and outreach programs
Goal 3: Optimize stewardship and return on investment for strategic institutional NHP resources including:
- Unique animal populations including the Vervet Research Colony and the Radiation Late Effects Cohort
- Key facilities including the PRIMIR Preclinical Imaging and Irradiation facility and the Clarkson Campus BSL-3 Biocontainment Facility
- Institutional and extramurally-supported NHP biorepositories
- NHP datasets (genomic, imaging, experimental, veterinary clinical, and pathology data)
- CDMRP ASUDRP-Funded Pharmacotherapies for Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders Alliance (PASA) Research Funding Opportunities.
The PASA’s goal is to fund studies that explore integrated approaches to address ASUD, especially comorbid ASUD with PTSD and other mental health conditions and reduce the number of opioid and other substance use-related deaths through multidisciplinary, team-based research efforts that translate knowledge into enhanced clinical pharmacological treatment protocols and enhanced quality of life for Service Members, Veterans, and the American public. Studies of military and Veteran populations are encouraged. These medications will ideally address the comorbidity between ASUDs and PTSD, TBI or other mental health conditions, as these comorbidities are common in the military and Veteran populations. Commercialization linked to U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for these new medications or combinations of medications is critical so early linkages to pharmaceutical companies are considered strengths of any application for PASA funding
PASA Funding Opportunities
- Johnson BJ, Lipford ME, Barcus RA, Schaaf GW, Andrews RN, Kim J, Olson JD, Deycmar S, Reed CA, Whitlow CT, Cline JM. Total-body Irradiation Reduces Cerebrovascular Reactivity in Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta). Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2026 Feb 12:S0360-3016(26)00376-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2026.01.043. PMID: 41690557.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360301626003767?via%3Dihub
- Gonzalez-Rodriguez Y, Walmer RW, Krainiak S, Carter K, Kavanagh K, Johnson K, Cilvik SN. Comparison of Laser Doppler Flowmetry With Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound to Approximate Placental Microvascular Blood Flow in the African Green Monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus). J Med Primatol. 2026 Feb;55(1):e70059. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmp.70059. PMID: 41607020; PMCID: PMC12852978.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jmp.70059
- Cilvik, S.N.; Sullivan, M.N.; Hobbs, T.R.; Castro, J.N.; Wessel, B.M.; Harrison, H.F.; Roberts, V.H.J. Application of Chorionic Villus Sampling to Longitudinal Studies in Pregnant Non-Human Primate Models. Animals 2026, Jan 16, 374. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16030374
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/16/3/374?utm_source=researchgate.net&utm_medium=article
- Bhoopal B, Frye BM, Miller M, Bansode A, Gollapelli KK, Barcus RA, Lockhart SN, Damuka N, Sutphen CL, Fitzgerald RW, Kim J, Baxter MG, Jorgensen MJ, Craft S, Register TC, Whitlow CT, Shively CA, Solingapuram Sai KK. PET imaging utility of a novel Aβ-tracking PET radiotracer, [18F]FC119S in aged vervet monkeys. J Transl Med. 2026 Jan 8;24(1):42. doi: 10.1186/s12967-025-07642-5. PMID: 41501910; PMCID: PMC12784507.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12967-025-07642-5
- Frye BM, Davis TG, Chen H, Register TC, Craft S, Baxter MG, Shively CA. Age, glucose tolerance, and cognitive performance in female vervet monkeys. Geroscience. 2025 Oct 15. doi: 10.1007/s11357-025-01920-2. PMID: 41094312.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11357-025-01920-2
- Abusheikha AJ, Johnson CSC, Snyder-Mackler N, Zimmerman KD, Negrey JD, Chiou KL, Frye BM, Howard TD, Shively CA, Register TC. Differential effects of Mediterranean vs. Western diets on coronary atherosclerosis and peripheral artery transcriptomics. Front Nutr. 2025 Jul 10;12:1564741. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1564741. PMID: 40709334; PMCID: PMC12288352.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12288352/
- Mishra S, Kumar A, He Y, Su Y, Singh S, Santos MF, Singh R, Lee J, Furdui CM, Shively CA, Kritchevsky SB, Register TC, Deep G. Circulating small extracellular vesicles as blood-based biomarkers of muscle health in aging nonhuman primates. Geroscience. 2025 Jun;47(3):3709-3723. doi: 10.1007/s11357-024-01439-y. PMID: 39656404; PMCID: PMC12181483.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12181483/
- Kim J, Lipford ME, Barcus RA, Frye BM, Yuan H, Lyu Q, Hudson JP, Lockhart SN, Sutphen CL, Register TC, Mielke MM, Craft S, Shively CA, Whitlow CT. Effects of Diminished Cerebrospinal Fluid Flow in the Spinal Canal on Amyloid Pathophysiology in Vervet Monkeys. Res Sq. 2025 May 13:rs.3.rs-6551242. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6551242/v1. PMID: 40470227; PMCID: PMC12136218.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12136218/
- Berson E, Frye BM, Gajera CR, Saarunya G, Perna A, Phongpreecha T, Shome S, Negrey JD, Aghaeepour N, Montine TJ, Craft S, Register TC, Shively CA. Mediterranean vs. Western diet effects on the primate cerebral cortical pre-synaptic proteome: Relationships with the transcriptome and multi-system phenotypes. Alzheimers Dement. 2025 Mar;21(3):e70041. doi: 10.1002/alz.70041. PMID: 40109017; PMCID: PMC11923382.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11923382/
- Huber HF, Ainsworth HC, Quillen EE, Salmon A, Ross C, Azhar AD, Bales K, Basso MA, Coleman K, Colman R, Darusman HS, Hopkins W, Hotchkiss CE, Jorgensen MJ, Kavanagh K, Li C, Mattison JA, Nathanielsz PW, Saputro S, Scorpio DG, Sosa PM, Vallender EJ, Wang Y, Zeiss CJ, Shively CA, Cox LA. Comparative lifespan and healthspan of nonhuman primate species common to biomedical research. Geroscience. 2025 Feb;47(1):135-151. doi: 10.1007/s11357-024-01421-8. PMID: 39585646; PMCID: PMC11872815.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11872815/
- Balamayooran G, Tooze JA, Gardin JF, Long MC, Caudell DL, Cline JM, Kock ND, Paitsel M, Moore S, Jorgensen MJ. Age and sex associated organ weight differences in vervets/African green monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus). J Med Primatol. 2024 Aug;53(4):e12721. doi: 10.1111/jmp.12721. PMID: 39048121; PMCID: PMC11378953.