Our country is currently in the grip of a major flu epidemic. Such epidemics occur every year. Like clockwork, a new flu epidemic will hit us every winter. It is hard to imagine a year passing without a flu outbreak. But why is it so hard to combat flu epidemics?

Thanks to a successful study involving rhesus macaques, the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience has got a step closer to achieving one of its primary objectives: allowing blind people to see without actually using their eyes. The Algemeen Dagblad newspaper reported on the story last week.

Damage to rhesus macaque's brain similar to damage observed in MS patients' brains

We have discovered that toxic oxygen may cause a great deal of damage to a rhesus macaque's brain. To some extent, the way in which these types of oxygen are released differs from the way in which they are released in humans and in marmosets. However, the damage they cause is equally severe.

Genetic properties of dormant form of malaria parasites understood at last

Thirty years after the discovery that certain types of malaria create so-called ‘dormant’ parasites, we have finally obtained a greater insight into their genetic properties. This constitutes a major breakthrough in our search for new medications, which are badly needed in our fight against this serious disease.

A mysterious bacterium's triple jump

One of the pathogens causing gastritis is the Helicobacter suis bacterium. This bacterium often causes stomach issues in pigs, but has also been known to infect humans. You would therefore expect this bacterium to have originated in a pig species living in the wild, such as the wild boar. Yet nothing is further from the truth.  

And why this matters to both monkeys and humans

Last week we learned something about the rhesus macaque's immune system that we did not know yet, which means we are a step closer to fighting certain viruses, such as primate HIV. This matters to humans, too, for reasons we will explain below.

Een internationaal onderzoeksteam (met materiaal ondersteund door BPRC) heeft op Sumatra een nieuwe orang-oetansoort ontdekt. In de hooggelegen bossen van dit Indonesische eiland leven mensapen die de onderzoekers beschrijven* als de Tapanuli orang-oetan (Pongo tapanuliensis). Er bestaan naar schatting 800 tapanuli's en dat is relatief klein, zodat deze groep meteen de meest bedreigde apensoort ter wereld is.

Op 18 oktober 2017 is Jordon Dunham gepromoveerd op het onderwerp ‘Translational multiple sclerosis research in primates’.

Er bestaan nog geen medicijnen die de ziekte multiple sclerosis (MS) kunnen genezen. Om nieuwe therapieën te kunnen ontwikkelen moeten we eerst begrijpen welke processen in het lichaam een rol spelen in het ontstaan en de ontwikkeling van deze ziekte. Diermodellen spelen hierin een essentiële rol.

The MHC system plays a vital part in the recognition of pathogens. Most genes making up the MHC system in humans and non-human primates are highly variable and may come in different numbers, particularly in old-world monkeys such as macaques. Therefore, when testing new therapies to treat diseases in experimental animals, it is crucial that we know what the variability and numbers of MHC genes in these animals are like.

MHC klasse I moleculen spelen een centrale rol in de afweer tegen virussen. De bestudering van het DNA dat codeert voor het MHC kan ons veel leren over de effecten die ziekteverwekkers hebben op ons immuunsysteem.