On a mission to improve human health, Congress passed legislation creating the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Regional Primate Research Centers program to provide scientists with specialized resources to conduct research with nonhuman primates.

The centers focused on building a sustainable supply of nonhuman primates to support health-related research, which included behavioral biology, reproductive biology and respiratory diseases.

These regional centers continued to demonstrate the value of nonhuman primate research through their work that ranged from fighting AIDS to developing in vitro fertilization.

Increasing prevalence of diseases, emerging health concerns and aging populations led to new areas of study all while the centers expanded their infectious disease research and began using pluripotent stem cells, a research tool NPRC researchers pioneered that is helping make people healthier.

The NIH designated the centers as National Primate Research Centers in recognition of their impact on research programs throughout America and the world. Research successes during this time included developing a vaccine that prevents AIDS in monkeys and exposing the effects of nicotine on pregnancy.

International health crises, such as Zika virus, the prevalence of other infectious diseases as well as a growing public interest in aging-related diseases, mental health and neurodegenerative diseases continue to motivate the NPRC researchers in their searches for causes, preventions, treatments and cures.