WaNPRC Director Featured for Biomedical Research Awareness Day 4/17
April 8, 2025
Unlocking Prevention: How Vaccine Researh in Animals Saves People and Animals. WaNPRC director Dr Deborah Fuller is the featured speaker for Biomedical Research Awareness Day, an annual international outreach program by Americans for Medical Progress. Imagine a world without vaccines. No protection from Polio, no flu shots to prevent seasonal outbreaks, and no defense against…
Dr Duran-Struuck Joins Core Faculty
April 1, 2025
WaNPRC Director Dr. Deborah Fuller today welcomed Dr Raimon Duran-Struuck as a core faculty member of the Washington National Primate Research Center. Dr Duran-Struuck is the Chair and a Professor in the UW Department of Comparative Medicine (DCM). A passionate advocate for research animals, Dr Duran-Struuck says he’s inspired by the professionalism and care of…
Discoveries Drive Pandemic Preparedness and Economic Stability
April 1, 2025
Scientists and our public health infrastructure are critical for pandemic preparedness. Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease with devastating effects on fetal brain development, continues to present a significant public health threat with far-reaching consequences for the U.S. economy and society. The virus gained global attention during the 2015-2018 epidemic, which was found to cause severe…
Grant to Study Colored Light for Pain Management
March 18, 2025
Jim Kuchenbecker and Jay Neitz are part of a collaborative team that has been awarded a highly competitive, nearly $8 million grant provided by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The grant will fund groundbreaking research titled: “Neural Mechanisms of Colored Light-Driven Analgesia.” The group’s research explores the use of colored light to modulate…
Do You Need a Measles Booster?
March 7, 2025
WaNPRC Director Dr Deborah Fuller spoke with Everyday Health about the efficacy of MMR vaccines and whether or not adults need a booster. The current measles outbreak that has killed at least two people so far in Texas and New Mexico were in unvaccinated people, one child, one adult. The Centers for Disease Control says…
New Paper: HIV May Increase Risk of Prolonged Zika Infections
March 4, 2025
A new paper co-authored by three WaNPRC researchers in Frontiers in Immunology indicates that people with HIV may be at greater risk for prolonged Zika virus (ZIKV) infections, and that people vulnerable to mosquito-borne illnesses like Zika would benefit from protections like vaccines. The paper, “Persistent innate immune dysfunction and ZIKV replication in the gastrointestinal…
Director for Research Lands Zika Papers in The Lancet
February 27, 2025
WaNPRC’s Interim Assoc. Director for Research, Kristina Adams Waldorf collaborated on a four-part series with other researchers in The Lancet Infectious Diseases and The Lancet Microbe. The series identified key research priorities needed to detect and mitigate the threat of future mosquito-borne Zika virus outbreaks. Dr Adams Waldorf is a leading researcher on Zika virus,…
Orsborn Paper: Neural Information Could Impact Brain-Computer Interfaces
February 19, 2025
Neuroscience core scientist Amy Orsborn published a new paper in the high-impact publication Nature Neuroscience in which she, as lead author, reports that, “Neural populations are dynamic but constrained,” as the title reads. “Our brains evolved to help us rapidly learn new things. But anyone who has put in hours of practice to perfect their…
New Project Coordination Unit Created to Improve Processes, Outcomes
January 14, 2025
WaNPRC Director Deb Fuller has announced the formation of a new Project Coordination Unit (PCU) that will assists with managing both new and existing research studies and that aims to improve communication and collaboration within the center as well as with affiliates. That unit has already started tweaking processes, including managing the way new projects…
Chlamydia Research Offers Hope for Global Health Solution
January 9, 2025
Chlamydia is one of the most widespread infectious diseases in the world, and it is remarkably difficult to prevent its spread. However, Dr. Kevin Hybiske, microbiologist and professor at the University of Washington in infectious diseases, microbiology and global health, offers new hope in collaboration with the Washington National Primate Research Center. In his lab,…