WORKSHOP/USE OF NONHUMAN PRIMATES/NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH

DESCRIPTION (Provided by applicant): This application seeks support for a workshop that will identify and discuss new integrative approaches to maximize the contribution of NHP species to the ongoing efforts to unravel the fundamental principles governing human brain function in normalcy and disease. The overall topic of the workshop is based on the belief that research using nonhuman primates (NHPs) will exert its greatest impact on five major areas of Neuroscience Research: Brain Development, Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Cognition and Behavior, Mental Illness, and Gene Therapy of the Nervous System. The underlying premise of this meeting is that the contribution that NHPs may make to these areas of neuroscience research will inextricably depend on the effective use of new technological advances in the fields of genomics, imaging, and cell and molecular biology that are revolutionizing biomedical research. The Aims of the Workshop are to: 1) Assess the current state of Neuroscience Research employing NHP with special attention to the current use of new technologies. 2) Identify strategies to allow Regional Primate Research Centers (RPRCs) to most effectively incorporate newly developed technologies into their research programs. 3) Identify mechanisms to foster collaborative efforts involving the RPRCs, other Academic Institutions, and the Biotechnology Industry. 4) Make recommendations to the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) as to the resources and mechanisms that should be instituted to facilitate (via the use of newly available technologies) the contribution of NHPs to the much anticipated leap in knowledge already gaining momentum in the neuroscience field.