According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1.7 million people died of tuberculosis (TB) in 2016, but even so we still do not have a vaccine that provides full protection against TB. For this reason, researchers are trying frantically to improve vaccination strategies with regard to this disease. And their research is gaining momentum.
BPRC honours pioneer in transplantation medicine
On Monday, 25 June, BPRC's research building was named after one of the greatest Dutch post-WWII researchers: Jon van Rood (1926-2017). In the presence of Van Rood's widow, BPRC's Board of Directors unveiled a commemorative plaque featuring his name, photo and some words on his achievements.
In late April, French President Macron was the first world leader to visit Donald Trump at the White House. Several notable scenes were captured on camera, the most notable being the moment when Trump brushed a flake of dandruff off Macron's suit jacket. Surely this was monkey behaviour, right? But why do monkeys groom each other, anyway?
‘Mosquitoes kill more people in one day than sharks do in a century’, Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates recently stated in his blog, which was dedicated to his least favourite critters for an entire week. Mosquitoes even keep him up at night.
Rhesus macaques may be relevant to the development of anti-bacterial therapies
Bacteria can be found everywhere. They can even be found on your body, as well as inside your body. Generally, they will cause you no harm. Quite the contrary, many of them have a positive effect on your health. Some of them do not, though. For instance, bacteria that end up in your wound during surgery may cause very serious problems.
What BPRC means for science, public health and animal welfare
Today is World Day for Laboratory Animals, a day established in 1979 due to people's frustration regarding the use of animals in laboratories. On this day, this sensitive issue is given even more attention than on any other day. It is a day on which we like to shed some light on the necessity and usefulness of the research carried out at BPRC.
What makes MS research so complex?
As of April 2018 Fampyra, a medication taken to treat MS, is no longer covered under standard health insurance policies. (The Dutch television programme TROS Radar recently discussed this here. The news was a blow for MS patients, who use this expensive medication to combat symptoms of their affliction.
Breaking news from Apenheul Primate Park last week: A new gorilla leader has arrived at the zoo. As part of an international breeding programme for gorillas kept in captivity, 33-year-old Bao Bao will be introduced to the zoo's female gorillas over the next few weeks. You see, male gorillas cannot be introduced to females without thorough preparation. But why is that?
Using an eye-catching video, KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation recently raised awareness of the fact that tuberculosis (TB), a disease whose name is often used informally in Dutch swearwords, is unfortunately still very much an issue. Every day, nearly 5,000 patients all over the world die of the consequences of ‘Mycobacterium tuberculosis’ infection.
BPRC researchers have applied a fast and effective method to crack the code of so-called KIRs, which constitutes a major milestone in our exploration of the vital processes taking place in our bodies.
We hope this new knowledge will help us gain a better understanding of diseases affected by KIRs. (KIR is short for ‘killer-cell immunoglobin-like receptors’.) KIRs occur in both human and non-human primates, but are different in rodents.
