Home / Animal Groups / Dogs & Cats Animal Group: Dogs & Cats Although dogs and cats represent less than 0.5% of all animals needed in research, they remain crucial to studies to alleviate serious conditions that affect both people and animals. Research with dogs has resulted in…
The common marmoset, due to its size and similarities with humans, is crucial in safety, reproductive biology, neuroscience, and drug development studies. In multiple sclerosis research, its immunological likeness aids therapy development.
This is Seraphina, a Rock Dove or pigeon. She contributes to studies focused on understanding “homing” and how the brain supports navigation and memory. People who lose their orientation, as a result of diseases such as Alzheimer’s dementia or stroke, cannot find their way around familiar environments. Researchers…
Home / Animal Groups / Rodents Animal Group: Rodents Rodents, like mice and rats, are popular models for biomedical research due to their anatomical, physiological and genetic similarities to humans. Some advantages for using rodents include ease of maintenance, their small size, and short life cycles that enable…
Imaging technologies have greatly reduced the number of animals needed for research. In the past, animals would have had to be euthanized in order to examine internal organs while today imaging allows visualization and study of what was previously not possible. Here an anesthetized marmoset monkey is being…
These are common marmosets in the lobby of the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center. Dried fruit, grapes, peanuts and other "pocket treats" are provided by their caretakers. This helps provide enrichment and also facilitates the ability to do health checks and other routine care procedures.
Home / Animal Groups / Primates Animal Group: Primates Nonhuman primates have a rich history of contributing to significant medical advances such as the polio vaccine, organ transplantation, blood transfusions, and surgical procedures to treat debilitating neurological symptoms like tremors and stiffness. Nonhuman primates are currently vital to…
Home / Animal Groups / Other Animals Animal Group: Other Animals Each animal needed for research provides a model for a unique aspect of a study. For example, fruit flies share 75% of the genes that cause disease in humans and contribute to studies of human genetics. The…