The Baboon in Biomedical Research

Nonhuman primates have played critical roles in biomedical research, and they are among the few animals whose use in research continues to increase. The scienti?c value of nonhuman primates derives from their close phylogenetic proximity to man and their consequent anatomic, physiologic, and genetic similarities to man. Only nonhuman primates can provide adequate models for many complex physiological and disease processes of humans. The baboon is a relative newcomer to the repertoire of nonhuman primates used in biomedical research. However, in less than 50 years since its ?rst use in the U. S. , it has become one of the most popular laboratory primate species. It is larger than the other widely used monkey species, making it advantageous for many types of experiments and technological developments. It is extraordinarily hardy and highly fecund in captivity. It closely resembles humans in a variety of physiological and disease processes, such as cholesterol metabolism, early stages of atherosclerosis, and alcoholic liver disease. Its chromosomes closely resemble those of humans, and many genes of the two species lie in the same chromosomal order. Among all primates, baboons are the most widely used models for the genetics of susceptibility to complex diseases and they are the ?rst nonhuman primate for which a framework genetic linkage map was established. In addition, the baboon genome is currently being sequenced, and as a result the utility of this species for biomedical research will be dramatically increased.

Building on the foundation of two earlier volumes, The Baboon in Biomedical Research returns in an updated edition that presents the variety of uses and the importance of the baboon in biomedical research today. With contributions from leading researchers who use the baboon model, the new edition, edited by John L. VandeBerg, Suzette D. Tardif, and Sarah Williams-Blangero, provides a cogent introduction to this nonhuman primate model and serves as a valuable guide for researchers as well as laboratory animal veterinarians.

The volume begins with a chapter on the baboon gene map, the first genetic linkage map developed for any nonhuman primate species. Subsequent chapters present the results of decades of research on basic biological characteristics of baboons: microbiology, reproductive biology, growth and development, behavior, and spontaneous pathology. The remaining chapters summarize the scientific contributions of baboons as models of human diseases or physiological or developmental characteristics, including neonatal lung disease, dental development, dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis, pregnancy, ingestive behaviors, infant nutrition, alcoholic liver disease, drug abuse, neuroimaging, epilepsy, and xenotransplantation. The baboon already has a 50-year history of significant contributions as a model for human states of health and disease. This volume highlights the exciting research that is currently being conducted with this animal model and suggests future directions for the baboon in biomedical research.