6. Monkey See, Monkey Do, Monkey Cure

Lab Rat Chat - Episode 06 with Dr. Rudolf Bohm, Associate Director and Chief Veterinary Medical Officer at the Tulane National Primate Research Center
 
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In this episode of Lab Rat Chat, Jeff and Danielle talk with Dr. Rudolf Bohm from the Tulane National Primate Research Center (TNPRC).  We cover a variety of topics in this one, including the basics of using monkeys in research, to TNPRC’s vaccine development work for the new coronavirus (COVID-19), to what the daily life of a monkey is like within the TNPRC.
 
  Topics discussed in this episode:

• Dr. Bohm’s journey through veterinary school and beyond, leading to his current position at the Tulane National Primate Research Center.
• Why non-human primates (monkeys) are so critical to the field of biomedical research.
• Amazing contributions to medicine and technology attributed to the use of monkeys in research.
• TNPRC’s efforts in developing an animal model for the new coronavirus causing COVID-19 and the work to be done in discovering potential vaccine candidates for COVID-19.
• The daily life of a monkey living within the TNPRC facilities and the amazing level of care and compassion that goes in to caring for them in ways you’ve never imagined.

Notable quotes:

“We developed a much better test to detect Lyme disease in both humans and in pet dogs…so that one actually did benefit pets directly which was probably the first time we’ve seen that happen, something move from primates to dogs”

Regarding coronavirus (COVID-19) - “Really there are a lot of unanswered questions, such as how is it transmitted and how long after infection is it transmitted, how much virus is excreted, and so those are the kinds of things we can answer in animal studies that you can’t answer in human studies because you don’t know when humans are infected…”

“Our approach is not just to throw a toy in a cage or try something new because we think it’s going to work.  We do it in a limited fashion, and we collect data, and we assess the data because we want to do things that are going to improve their welfare…”

Resources & Links:

• Tulane National Primate Research Center (https://tnprc.tulane.edu/)
• Americans for Medical Progress (https://www.amprogress.org/) 
• PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (https://olaw.nih.gov/policies-laws/phs-policy.htm)