Yerkes National Primate Research Center

Science Starts Here

Why do some people develop neurodegenerative diseases while others do not? Do hormones play a role in social behavior? How can new treatments slow or stop the progression of infectious and noninfectious diseases?

Science begins with questions, and researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center are taking the first steps in the comprehensive yet complicated process of finding answers. Our work is in understanding the human body and behavior and in beginning the translational research process. Research started at Yerkes provides a vital connection to further scientific discovery that will improve the health of our nation and the world.

HIV/AIDS: Moving Closer to a Vaccine

One of the Yerkes Research Center’s foremost scientific goals is the development of an AIDS vaccine that will help end the global epidemic now affecting more than 42 million people. An HIV/AIDS vaccine developed by Yerkes researchers shows great promise and currently is in its second clinical trial in human volunteers.

Seeing the Brain in a New Light

The brain is one of the last great frontiers of biology. This is because so much remains to be learned about how it functions and interacts with the entire body and also because of new technologies, such as brain imaging, that give Yerkes neuroscientists a window into the active brain.

Social Behavior: It's All in Your Mind

Scientists at the Yerkes Research Center use rodents and nonhuman primates models to seek answers about how the brain controls a range of social behaviors, including fear, aggression, reproduction and social affiliation, and how these behaviors influence brain function.