'Tuberculosis is a disaster happening every day without being noticed, because nothing really changes. It's as bad today as it is tomorrow. So any vaccine that will have an effect against developing open lung TB in adults, or even against TB infection in people that have not yet developed TB disease or infection, can be a game changer.'
Researchers at BPRC studying differences among marmosets fed different diets have shown that dietary changes affect MS-like symptoms in common marmosets.
Common marmosets are similar in many ways to humans, one being that they have a comparable immune system. This makes them a suitable animal model in the search for therapies for serious immunological diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS).
Infectious disease in top 10 of all mortality causes worldwide
21 September was World Alzheimer's Day. In that same week news was announced about blood tests for Alzheimer's that would be available within the next one or two years. “I have two things to say about that”, says Ingrid Philippens, a researcher of neurodegenerative disorders (Parkinson's and Alzheimer's).
Before discussing the latest developments, we should have a brief look at the bigger picture. What is the status of Alzheimer's research in 2018? What do we know, and what don't we know yet?
The Biomedical Primate Research Institute is a scientific research institute committed to biomedical research on life-threatening or debilitating diseases for man. BPRC contributes to the identification and development of new therapies and medicines. BPRC uses non-human primates for this critical research only when there are no suitable alternatives. In addition, BPRC has an active and expanding program to develop alternatives, following the principles of reduction, refinement and replacement.
Even today in 2018, AIDS continues to be a very serious disease. More than 33 million people have been infected with the HIV virus that causes AIDS, and another 1.6 million were diagnosed in 2016. Nonetheless, a great deal of progress has been achieved over the years, particularly in keeping the disease under control. These results are thanks in part to the chimpanzees used for biomedical research, though use of these primates as laboratory animals has been prohibited since 2006
New culture systems for certain types of brain cell
The death of nerve cells in the brain is responsible for diseases likes Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, also referred to as ‘neurodegenerative diseases’. This fact originally prompted much research to focus on these nerve cells. However, in recent years, it has become increasingly clear that a different cell type plays a key role in disease progression: the brain's immune cells, or ‘microglia’.
In recent years, biomedical research carried out in Europe has seen fewer and fewer experiments performed on monkeys. This trend may result in this type of research being conducted more often outside Europe in the future – for instance, in China. Today, a prominent academic journal entitled The Scientist published an article about experiments involving monkeys being transferred to countries outside Europe.
Malaria parasites are constantly waging war on their hosts. Their objective is to multiply and to jump from host to host – from mosquitoes to human beings. At the same time, the hosts try to protect themselves from the parasite, so as to reduce the symptoms of the disease or prevent falling ill altogether. Scientists have made a very special discovery regarding this protection from malaria parasites.
We are pleased to present the BPRC 2017 Annual Scientific Report
It contains all the research highlights of 2017. For information on the other research areas performed at the BPRC, you will be directed to the website.
