WaNBRC Director On the Future of mRNA Vaccine Research
May 18, 2026
More than five years after mRNA vaccines helped change the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, questions are emerging about what comes next for one of modern medicine’s most promising technologies. In a recent feature by The Scientist, WaNBRC Director Deborah H. Fuller, PhD, offers her perspective on the future of mRNA vaccine research, and why…
Hi-Def Eye Tracking Made Accessible
April 23, 2026
For years, scientists studying vision faced a problem: the tools used to track eye movements were either invasive and prone to failure or too imprecise for high-level research. Standard noninvasive methods track the center of the pupil and corneal reflections and compare their positions to estimate the direction of the gaze. But they frequently overestimated…
Platform Bridges Gap to Human Brain Therapies
April 7, 2026
Dr. Azadeh Yazdan-Shahmorad Researchers at the Washington National Biomedical Research Center have developed a long-sought technological "toolbox" that allows scientists to control and monitor brain activity with light in non-human primates for years at a time, a breakthrough expected to bridge the gap between basic laboratory research and life-saving human medicine. The study, published in…
Bridging Generations: WaNBRC Launches Annual Nepal Field Course
March 19, 2026
The 7th Annual Field Course in Conservation Biology and Global Health wraps up this week at the Nepal Engineering College in Lalitpur. This year’s program marks a significant milestone as it is the first field course for Dr. Matthew Novak in his new role as Unit Director for Global Programs at the Washington National Biomedical…
New Name; Same Mission
February 13, 2026
Seattle, WA — One of the nation’s leading NIH-funded research institutions has a new name. The Washington National Primate Research Center is now the Washington National Biomedical Research Center (WaNBRC), a change that more accurately reflects the full breadth of scientific approaches used across its research programs. “Since 1961, our center has contributed to major advances…
WaNPRC Researchers Discover Endurance Immune Cells to Fight Cancer Relapse
February 3, 2026
For thousands of patients battling blood cancers like lymphoma or leukemia, CAR-T cell therapy feels like a finish line. Doctors harvest a patient’s own immune cells, genetically engineer them to hunt cancer, and return them to the body to run them down. But for more than 60% of patients, the race doesn’t go as planned. …
Dr Randy Kyes Retires After 35 Years of Global Conservation, Education and Empathy
December 1, 2025
Dr. Kyes and wife Elle in Thailand in 2021. After 35 years with the Washington National Primate Research Center (WaNPRC) and the University of Washington, Dr. Randall (‘Randy’) Kyes, Unit Chief of the Center’s Unit of Global Programs, Research Professor in the Dept. of Psychology, adjunct in the Depts. of Global Health and Anthropology, and…
Neuro Unit Shines at SfN
November 17, 2025
Researchers from the Washington National Primate Research Center Neuroscience Unit made a big impact at this year’s Society for Neuroscience (SfN) meeting, sharing 27 different scientific presentations. This large wide-ranging set of contributions shows how our teams are helping push neuroscience forward in meaningful, practical ways. The studies covered everything from basic brain wiring to…
Survey: People Trust Vets on Animal Research
November 6, 2025
A new national survey on public attitudes toward animal research indicates that trust, and communication based in facts, play a huge role in acceptance for the work. The survey identified veterinarians (81%) and scientists (77%) as the most trusted sources of information. The study, conducted in part by Dr. Sally Thompson-Iritani, Assistant Vice Provost for…
Committed to Care at Every Step
October 30, 2025
Transporting nonhuman primates between facilities is a complex, tightly regulated process that prioritizes animal welfare, safety, and legal compliance at every step. Each shipment involves extensive coordination among veterinarians, animal care teams, and logistics specialists, following detailed standard operating procedures that govern everything from health screening to the chopping of fruits and vegetables packed for…