Pathology


The Division of Pathology provides support to Emory National Primate Research Center (EPC) researchers and the larger Emory community as well as external investigators and collaborators. The Pathology faculty contributes to colony health surveillance by providing diagnostic support to the Animal Resources Division. As part of its mission, the Division of Pathology promotes an open exchange of ideas, interdepartmental and interdisciplinary collaborations, the establishment and refinement of animal models of human disease and the support of projects from external collaborators in need of nonhuman primate (NHP) experimentation. The EPC pathologists and technical staff provide investigators assistance in protocol development, disease diagnosis and specimen collections. In addition, Pathology faculty is actively involved in training residents, veterinary students, veterinary pathologists and research scientists in the field of NHP pathology. The Pathology Division participates in virtually all of the education and training programs the EPC and Emory University School of Medicine offer.

EPC-based pathologists conduct research focused on infectious diseases, including AIDS pathology, immunotherapy in the context of HIV infection, tuberculosis (TB), rectal microbicides, influenza and Zika virus infections, malaria, babesiosis, zoonotic viruses in natural host species (nonhuman primates and bats), stroke and neurodegenerative diseases.

Service Units

The Pathology Division encompasses all aspects of diagnostic pathology and is composed of these major units: Anatomic Pathology (includes Necropsy/Gross Pathology and Histology and Molecular Pathology Laboratory), Clinical Pathology, Biological Material Procurement and Biological Material Shipping.

Necropsy and Gross Pathology

This unit provides basic pathology support services including routine (diagnostic) necropsies for colony animals and the much more extensive experimental necropsies for numerous research protocols. The routine necropsies consist of complete gross examinations and histological examination.

The Histology and Molecular Pathology Laboratory is a service laboratory that provides research and diagnostic support to researchers and veterinary pathologists at the EPC, Emory University and other institutions and universities across the United States. Services include tissue processing, paraffin blocks processing and embedding, slide preparation, coverslipping, routine and special staining, electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization assays for various nonhuman primate pathogens, including viruses and bacteria, and cell markers. Lab staff members also help researchers design research protocols and incorporate molecular pathology techniques. For more information, contact Dr. Ian Moore.

This lab provides reliable, timely, accurate and cost-effective services for clinical and experimental support to the EPC as well as Emory University investigators and researchers at other institutions across the United States. Services include hematology, parasitology, microbiology, flow cytometry, Urinalysis, routine and specialized clinical chemistry, and coagulation profiles. Dr. Ian Moore provides oversight to the Clinical Pathology Laboratory.

This EPC service is an important resource to investigators worldwide because of the nonhuman primate tissues and biological materials we collect and distribute for scientific and biomedical research purposes. We collect and prepare samples according to investigators' specific needs. For more information about this valuable resource, please email us.

EPC provides biological material shipping services for our Center's researchers as well as researchers who have NIH-funded research programs and companies who conduct biomedical research. We have IATA-certified research technicians on site who are authorized to ship biological and hazardous (infectious) samples. For more information about this resource, please email us.

Comparative Pathology Externships

The EPC Division of Pathology offers a comparative pathology externship to veterinary students entering their 3rd or 4th year. The externship, which lasts between four and 10 weeks, is designed to provide exposure to all aspects of EPC nonhuman primate and rodent caseloads, including opportunities to perform necropsies and microscopic evaluations on nonhuman primates and rodents, rotate through EPC on-site histology and clinical pathology laboratories, and assume responsibility for histopathology on at least one case.

More information is available on our Education page. Interested students should contact Ian Moore, PhD, DVM, DACVP, for more information.