News: Centerline

Spring/Summer 2003

Contents

Research highlights
Two new species join Center colony
New National Primate Centers brochure
Patient advocates visit Primate Center
Gleanings
April outreach reaches more than 1,000
Long-time WPRC employees retire

Past issues on line

Fall/Winter 2002
Spring 2002
Fall 2001
Spring 2001
Fall/Winter 2000
Spring 2000
Fall 1999
Spring 1999
Fall/Winter 1998-99
Summer 1998
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Fall/Winter 1997
Summer 1997
Spring 1997

Newsletter contact information

Research Highlights

Aging monkeys show dramatic health benefits

two monkeysNow in its 14th year, the Wisconsin Primate Research Center’s study on caloric restriction and aging has resulted in striking health benefits to aging monkeys. Perhaps the most obvious is apparent by just looking at the monkeys. In these photos, the monkey on the left is calorie restricted. The animal on the right is not. Yet the two monkeys were born the same year.

Less obvious, but highly notable benefits in the restricted animals include better glucoregulation and lower incidence of both diabetes and osteoarthritis. Furthermore, the monkeys exhibit an improved risk factor profile for cardiovascular disease.

Caloric restriction reliably causes reduced body weight and body fat. Although originally, this was thought to be the mechanism of the intervention’s life extending actions, researchers now believe that the beneficial effects are not conferred simply from weight reduction.

Some explanations for the benefits of caloric restriction may include the following, non mutually exclusive theories:

Through the caloric restriction studies, center researchers are investigating diseases of aging and the normal aging process in the hope of understanding, treating and preventing age-related diseases.

Caloric restriction is known to retard the aging process in many different species. "We are trying to see if it works in a nonhuman primate species," said Richard Weindruch, the study's principal investigator.

This program project grant (P01) is the largest single grant relying on Center resources. The success of this research depends on daily monitoring by WPRC researchers and critical support functions by the Center’s Animal Services Unit.

References:
Blanc S, Schoeller D, Kemnitz J, Weindruch R, Colman R, Newton W, Wink K, Baum S, Ramsey J. Energy expenditure of rhesus monkeys subjected to 11 years of dietary restriction. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. Jan; 88(1):16-23. 2003.

Gresl TA, Colman RJ, Havighurst TC, Allison DB, Schoeller DA, Kemnitz JW. Dietary restriction and b-cell sensitivity to glucose in adult male rhesus monkeys. J Gerontol: Biological Sci. 58A(7);45-57. 2003.

CTL-based vaccines critical to controlling AIDS virus

Finding a vaccine for HIV is one of the most pressing biomedical priorities today.  Researchers at the Wisconsin Primate Research Center and their collaborators have discovered that a strong cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) immune response early in infection likely controls viral replication. Thus, it is becoming increasingly clear that an HIV vaccine must induce strong CTL responses.

David Watkins and his team are striving to pinpoint exactly how CTL controls viral replication at the molecular level, using SIV-infected rhesus macaques as an animal model for HIV-infected humans.  With support from Animal Care, Virology, and Immunology Services, the Watkins team generates strong CTL responses in the absence of any other SIV-specific immune responses, and then challenges the vaccinated animals with SIV.

They have already immunized rhesus macaques with DNA and Modified Vaccina Ankara (MVA) encoding a single relevant CTL epitope and have generated the strongest CTL responses ever seen.  They are generating CTL against multiple epitopes in several different SIV proteins. Additionally, they are inducing CTL at mucosal sites.

This will allow the researchers to test the hypothesis that CTL can ameliorate the course of disease after infection. To carry out these studies, they have assembled a team of investigators to study all aspects of the CTL response in the rhesus macaque.

References:
Mothe BR, Weinfurter J, Wang C, Rehrauer W, Wilson N, Allen TM, Allison DB, Watkins DI. Expression of the major histocompatibility complex class I molecule Mamu-A*01 is associated with control of simian immunodeficiency virus SIVmac239 replication. J Virol. Feb;77(4):2736-40. 2003.

Nacsa J, Stanton J, Kunstman KJ, Tsai WP, Watkins DI, Wolinsky SM, Franchini G. Emergence of cytotoxic T lymphocyte escape mutants following antiretroviral treatment suspension in rhesus macaques infected with SIVmac251. Virology. Jan 5;305(1):210-8. 2003.

Voss G, Manson K, Montefiori D, Watkins DI, Heeney J, Wyand M, Cohen J, Bruck C. Prevention of disease induced by a partially heterologous AIDS virus in rhesus monkeys by using an adjuvanted multicomponent protein vaccine. J Virol. 2003 Jan;77(2):1049-58. 2003.

Maternal-fetal immune tolerance linked to Mamu-AG molecule

A research team led by Thaddeus Golos at the Wisconsin Primate Research Center is one step closer to understanding the role of the placenta in promoting tolerance of the fetus by the maternal immune system.

The placenta represents a graft whose genetic makeup is 50 percent foreign to the mother. While many pregnancies are successful, it remains unclear how the immune system can contribute to infertility and pregnancy success.

The researchers have defined transplantation antigens (MHC class I molecules) expressed in the rhesus placenta, have prepared highly specific antibodies for one of these molecules (Mamu-AG), and have defined its expression pattern at implantation of the embryo in the rhesus monkey. They are now working to define receptors on maternal immune cells that recognize this molecule. If they can identify its effects on maternal cells, using new placental gene transfer methods, they can ultimately discover the contributions of this molecule to pregnancy success.

Reference:
Ryan AF., Grendell RG, Geraghty DE, Golos TG. A soluble isoform of the rhesus monkey nonclassical MHC class I molecule Mamu-AG is expressed in the placenta and the testis. J. Immunol. 169:673-683. 2002.

Bone growth factor spurs ES cells to trophoblast

The excitement and controversy surrounding the potential use of human embryonic stem (ES) cells in transplantation therapies has overshadowed their potentially more important use as a basic research tool for understanding the development and function of human tissues.

A growth factor called bone morphogenetic protein 4, or BMP4, could break down many barriers to understanding human development.

BMP4 induces human ES cells to differentiate into trophoblast, or early embryo, in culture, a team of researchers from Wisconsin and California discovered last year. Right now, only mouse cells can be studied to learn about early development. They have remained the standard model for decades, and an inaccurate one at that, since the mouse embryonic structure is completely different than the human, according to James Thomson, a study coauthor and embryonic stem cell researcher at the Wisconsin Primate Research Center.

Mouse ES cells can only become blood, neural, pancreas and a few other cells. They rarely, if at all, can be directed to the trophoblast stage. Both of these shortfalls makes them useless as a model for studying early human embryonic development.

Human, and nonhuman primate ES cells, though, can proliferate indefinitely and form advanced derivatives of all three embryonic germ layers. They can also form extra-embryonic tissues, or placental layers. The researchers demonstrated using BMP4 that their differentiated cells expressed a range of trophoblast markers and also secreted placental hormones.

Human ES cells thus provide a tool for studying the differentiation and function of early human trophoblast and could provide a new understanding of some of the earliest differentiation events of human postimplantation development.

"The research is controversial because it results in an early embryo," said Ren He-Xu, lead author on the study. "However, with a human rather than a mouse model, we could finally learn about early cell survival, basic cell function, and why things go wrong early in development."

Contributing research came from the Primate Center and UW-Madison Medical School Dept. of Anatomy, WiCell Research Institute, and the Department of Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Reference:
Ren-He Xu, Xin Chen, Dong S. Li, Rui Li, Gregory C. Addicks, Clay Glennon, Thomas P. Zwaka, James A. Thomson. BMP4 initiates human embryonic stem cell differentiation to trophoblast. Nature Biotechnology. 20(12):1261-1264. 2002.

Two new species join Center colony

By Summer Lei Shidler

Sixty cynomolgous macaques are newly arrived at the Center.  An as yet undetermined number of vervets are also on the way. The cynos (Macaca fascicularis) arrived in April from facilities in China and Vietnam; they include 30 males and 30 females. The vervets (Cercopithecus aethiops) are from a breeding and research facility on St. Kitts in the Caribbean. Both species will be in quarantine at the Biotron on campus for several weeks before moving to the Center.

The range of the cynomolgous, or crab-eating macaque, includes Southeast Asia and the Philippines. These macaques have the habit of inserting their hand in small burrows or holes to find crabs or other animals. In the mangrove swamps of their wild habitat they have learned to feed on crabs, crustaceans, shellfish and other small animals exposed by the low tide. Their life span is about 30 years in captivity.  The cynomolgous monkey is best known as the first clinical test animal for the polio vaccine. These animals will be involved in Center studies of infectious disease, reproduction and other topics.

Vervet monkeys are small to medium in size, lightly built, and have pale beige to brown coloring.  Their faces are black, with white eyelids. The most unusual aspect of vervet biology is the animal’s natural immunity to SIV, the primate equivalent of HIV. Vervet monkeys live in Africa, south of the Sahara. They are the most numerous and widespread of the Old World primates and are also among the smallest. To cope with unstable food supplies, vervets are able to repress their fertility in hard times, then quickly become pregnant during times of plenty.

Announcing... "Linking Research to Healthy Living"

A new brochure on the use of primates in lifesaving biomedical research is now available. Edited by Summer Lei Shidler, the brochure was produced by a consortium of the eight National Primate Research Centers. The centers’ shared mission is to provide specialized resources for nonhuman primate research applicable to solving human health problems. The centers are funded through the National Center for Research Resources Division of the National Institutes of Health.

The brochure’s purpose is to offer the public a more comprehensive understanding of the link between nonhuman primate research and the benefits of that research for the public health of our nation, and our world.

Linking Research to Healthy Living Brochure (pdf format)

If you would like to receive printed copies, please contact the National Primate Research Center nearest you:

California National Primate Research Center

New England National Primate Research Center

Oregon National Primate Research Center

Southwest National Primate Research Center

Tulane National Primate Research Center

Washington National Primate Research Center

Wisconsin National Primate Research Center

Yerkes National Primate Research Center

ES cell research advocates visit UW-Madison campus

Representatives from three national and state patient advocacy groups visited the Primate Center and Waisman Center May 19 to meet embryonic stem cell researchers, tour their labs, and help strengthen their voices in support of ES cell research.

The visitors learned how ES cell research is critical to understanding how normal cells function, and how future transplant therapies might work to treat diseases such as juvenile diabetes, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and Down’s Syndrome.

Among the visitors were Michelle Alswager and her six-year-old son Jesse, who has juvenile diabetes. The two were headed to Washington, D.C., June 21 to testify at a Senate hearing on the need for ES cell research.

"While I obviously understand why I, myself, want therapeutic cloning technology to develop, I did not have the tools to explain it well to others," Michelle wrote to organizers following the event. "Now I have the knowledge to take with me to Washington, D.C."

At the Wisconsin Primate Research Center, the group peered at cells under a microscope, then listened to scientist James Thomson. He described how ES cells will profoundly advance medical knowledge of embryology and early events in pregnancy. He also expressed hope that the research will aid transplant therapies and drug toxicity tests.

Adult stem cells have limitations that have not been overcome in 30 years of research, Thomson pointed out. They are much harder to grow, keep alive, and direct into anything else but their parent tissue. ES cells, on the other hand, have unlimited potential in their growth, viability and plasticity. For example, there is a severe shortage of donor pancreatic islet cells to treat diabetes. There is also a shortage of donor bone marrow blood cells to treat leukemia, another interest of Thomson’s. If ES cells can be reliably directed into the cell types patients need, such shortages might be alleviated.

At the Waisman Center, Clive Svendsen described his research on brain repair and protection. His work on GDNF, or glial derived growth factor protein, is proving effective in early clinical trials with Parkinson’s patients. A better way of delivering GDNF might be from stem cells transplanted into the brain. Svendsen has recently genetically modified human neural stem cells and hopes to deliver GDNF to patients with Parkinson’s or ALS using these cells in the future. Svendsen, who directs the Stem Cell Program at the Waisman Center, does not use ES cells in his own work, but supports exploring all avenues of stem cell research to fight Parkinson’s and other neurological disorders.

During lunch at the Waisman Center, UW Chancellor John Wiley thanked the visitors for their strong voices in supporting ES cell research. He urged them to fight pending legislation that would ban research on cloning ES cells for therapeutic purposes.

Jon Odorico then addressed the group on how his team is growing pancreatic islet cells from ES cells. If these cells can be grown in sufficient number and safely transplanted into people with diabetes, they might produce insulin naturally inside the body and cure the disease.

Andy Cohn of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation left the patient advocates with the message that they can provide a powerful voice as individuals and organizations. "Politicians know that the public supports human embryonic stem cell research, so they say they support stem cell research when they clearly oppose ES cell research," Cohn said. "Let them know that you know the difference."

Thomson, too, made it clear to the visitors that knowledge gained from ES cell research will help research with adult cells, and vice versa. "Any scientist doing research with either type of cell knows that science speaks back and forth."

Gleanings

Visit Just published for a list of current WPRC scientific papers.

Honor

James Thomson was honored with the individual MIT Club of Wisconsin Award March 15 in Waukesha, Wisconsin. The award recognizes those who are making a major contribution to Wisconsin’s economy through technological change. Thomson received this award because his embryonic stem cell work has "set the stage for a revolution in medicine and basic biology."

Promotions

Deborah Barnett, research associate to assistant researcher, Abbott Lab, May 1.

Thomas Zwaka, research associate to assistant researcher, Thomson Lab, April 1.

New Staff

Susan Baculik, human resources manager, March 24.
Jack Bork, associate research specialist, Thomson lab, May 9.
Vicki Carter, vet tech1, April 21.
Svetlana Dambaeva, research associate, Golos lab, Feb. 25.
Stacey Hughes, payroll and benefits specialist, June 9.
Zheyuan Jin, research specialist, Watkins lab, June 17.
Eric Lewandowski, grants manager, April 8.
Ping Liu, assistant researcher, Golos lab, June 1.
Sarah Napoe, research specialist, Watkins lab, June 9.
Rhea Paul, LAT1, June 9.
Chuck Schobert, assistant research animal vet, April 1.
David Wolover, LAT1, June 2.

Departures

Shinichiro Nakamura, research associate, Oct. 31.
Amanda Goudy Trainor, research specialist, May 30.

Visiting scientists

Director Joe Kemnitz welcomed several scientific visitors to the Center in April and May:

Marina Emborg, a candidate for a UW faculty position, is interested in Parkinson's Disease.She is an assistant professor in the Department of Neurological Sciences at Rush University, Chicago.

Judy Cameron is on the faculties of both the University of Pittsburgh and Oregon Health & Science University. She gave an invited University of Wisconsin Lecture on behavioral correlates of serotonin in infant monkeys.

Erwin Montgomery Jr. visited twice from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Dr. Montgomery directs the American Parkinson’s Disease Advanced Center for Research. He is considering a faculty position in neurology and establishing a research program at the Primate Center.

Charanjit Bambra, who visited in May, is on the staff at the Institute of Reproduction and Development, Monash University, Australia.

April outreach reaches more than 1,000

Center participation in the UW’s first campus-wide science open house April 5 was a huge success. Hundreds of people enjoyed our exploration station at Engineering Hall. More than 150 people visited our learning lobby. Raising positive awareness of the Center is a strategic planning goal, and these events more than filled the bill. The marmosets were a hit, putting on such a show that they slept through Sunday. Staff also gave talks at the Biotechnology Center on April 10. Our bustling hands-on science station April 28 at Edgewood Sonderegger Science Center drew many families. Other April events staff volunteered for included the Animal Biotechnology Conference on campus, and the International Bioethics Conference at Promega. Dozens of center employees made it all happen and we are grateful to all of you!

A special thanks to "primate volunteers"Summer Shidler, John McCabe, David Abbott, Nancy Schultz-Darken, Chuck Schobert, Matt Hoffman, Edi Chan, Bob Becker, Clay Glennon, Amy Usborne, Tom Friedrich, Toni Ziegler, Iris Bolton, Kirk Boehm, Chuck Bishop, Joe Kemnitz, Ricki Colman, Chad Johnson, and events coordinator Jordana Lenon.

Three who made a difference - Long-time WPRC employees retire

Rosie enjoyed enriching career

Russell "Rosie" Vertein retired Feb. 20, 2003, after a career dedicated to the monkeys at the Wisconsin Primate Research Center.

Rosie was one of the first employees of the Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center. He began caring for Harlow Lab monkeys in January 1964, while the original Primate Center building was nearing completion.

"We moved to the third floor when the new building was finished in August," Rosie remembers. "It was just me, Doug Cowley and 10 monkeys. Then all of the sudden, it took off. We soon had more rhesus, plus cynos, stumptails and more. The cynos would just wrap their tails around your arm. The stumptails were strong, calm, nice animals."

Originally from North Freedom, Wisconsin, Rosie had a tumultuous year before settling in at the Primate Center for the remainder of his career. He emerged from Army basic training at Fort Lewis (32nd Division) in 1962, and stood ready to be called up during the Berlin Crisis. When the crisis passed, Rosie opted out of the Army (doing National Guard duty for seven years). He was working in a plastics factory in Baraboo when he learned of an interesting job opening at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Born and raised on a farm, Rosie jumped at the chance to work with animals again. He was soon busy preparing food and cleaning cages alongside another young hire, Doug Cowley. Their supervisor was Leo Johnson.

"Doug was really fun to work with and is a good friend," Rosie said. He also mentioned how much he enjoyed his friendships with Don Weikert, Steve Shelton, Les Sander, Harry Pape, and Julie Adriansjach. "And Ann Marie (Paprocki) helped me do a lot with the enrichment program," he added. "I’ll really miss her and everyone else."

Of course, he’ll miss the animals most. "The aging colony was my cup of tea. They were just like old people. You couldn’t trust ‘em," he joked. Becoming more serious, he added, "But they were very appreciative for whatever you did for them."

Rosie and Doug were instrumental in training the Center’s monkeys for blood drawing and in-cage venipuncture. "Doug trained the stumptails and I trained the rhesus," said Rosie. "I worked with the diabetic animals, learning how to give them their insulin injections right in their cages, so they would be calmer and more comfortable."

"They always got a reward. One old monkey would turn his hip toward the door for his shot, and then get a peanut or two. With a peanut in the hand and enough patience and coaxing, we stopped using the squeeze back cages to settle them down. They just cooperated and let us give them their shots."

"The diabetics were my special favorites," Rosie added. "You try not to get too attached to them, but it was a sad day when they got shipped out to the University of Maryland for further research." Three years after four animals under Rosie’s care departed, he went to visit them. "They still remembered me," he said. "I walked into the room right up to one male, and he barked a greeting at me just the way he always did. For everyone else, he just sat there."

Now Rosie is reaping the benefits of primate research himself. Two years ago, he suffered a heart attack at home and underwent bypass surgery. He still has a sore chest and has to take more time doing things. He enjoys working in the yard, fishing, and intricate woodworking. This November he and his wife Janet celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. They’re planning a family reunion with their children and grandchildren. Rosie welcomed his ninth grandchild this May.

Taking care of the animals was pure pleasure for Rosie. "I always tried to give them the best I could. Living in a cage is not perfect. I knew the research was necessary, and my part was taking care of the monkeys as best as I could. I never dreamt I’d work with monkeys, but I sure enjoyed it."

Bob Watson took care of people

Walking through the halls of the Primate Center these days, one might easily take for granted that nearly everyone on staff, and a fair number of students, has a personal computer. Employees also enjoy access to color printers, fax machines, scanners, and state-of-the art lab equipment. We work in safe, secure buildings. We have a shop that can make special cabinets to protect our computers, or foraging boards for our animals. We can get just about everything we need, from pushpins to plane tickets.

The Primate Center wasn't always this way. And it's not just because many of the things we take for granted hadn't been invented. It's also because the man who has been in charge of taking care of our daily workplace needs for the past 32 years set the standard for providing quality staff services and retaining top people to maintain and develop these services.

Robert Watson, who retired June 30, 2003, has always been a tireless advocate for the Primate Center. He credits his father for teaching him that any job worth doing is a job worth doing well. His father was strict and hard-working, moving his family from Bristol, Virginia, where Bob was born, up and down the East Coast, and to Japan for six years, due to his job as a marine engineer. Well-traveled and educated in engineering and business administration at Portland State, Bob was well prepared for his position at the Primate Center when he arrived in 1971.

Bob was ahead of his time in many ways. He recognized early on that, to maintain a first-rate Center, you needed to really take care of your people, and you need to serve everyone's needs equally. In the early '70s, when basic campus services did not extend all the way south to the Primate Center, Bob was the one out on Capitol Court at 6 a.m. shoveling snow off the sidewalks, and making sure the buildings were adequately heated. When he saw an inadequacy or problem, he worked hard to solve it. Sometimes this meant raising an eyebrow at convention, as when he purchased computers for our hard-working students in the 1980s. (This was a time when computers were still viewed by many as a luxury.)

Bob began in 1971 as program coordinator under then new director Robert Goy. He soon was promoted to Jim Reese's administrative assistant in the Business Office and, upon Reese's retirement, assumed leadership of the office.

Bob recognized early on the need to hire specialized staff members to provide the critical functions of everything from accounting to data management. Budgeting for everything from computers to carpeting is hard enough, but maintaining it so it can best serve its purpose takes tireless care. Perhaps more than anyone, Bob adhered to the adage, "Take care of your people and they will take care of you." Many of us are chiefly concerned with using the resource; we have been fortunate to have someone looking after it all these years.

As associate director of Operationsal Services, Bob had the daunting task of managing the Center's base grant, especially in recent years, when funding for the Primate Centers has been tight. It's no picnic facing a frozen budget while trying to deal with the torrent of annual requests that many seasoned budget managers say usually sound something like this: "We can get by with the same number of staff (or computers, or offices, etc.) we already have… plus one more!"

Bob has also been the one to remind staff of the limited resource that is the base grant, while at the same time doing his best to take care of everyone and everything under the center's many roofs. It's a balancing act not everyone has the stamina to survive. Bob has remained highly dedicated to, by all accounts, a very stressful job. He has watched the years physically reshape the center, turn over its people, and intensify its needs. He has done all this while dealing with a serious illness, diabetes, that his colleagues are working hard to someday cure.

Before moving on, Bob expressed his thanks to the entire Operations staff, including two individuals he worked with who have since departed the center, Marlene Urben and Susan Carlson.

"When Marlene left, I felt abandoned. She touched everybody's life here and she certainly earned her retirement," Bob said. "Sue, also, had a very productive career and embodied the philosophy of facilitating for people and being there for people when they needed her."

Bob also acknowledged how much he appreciated working with Paul DuBois, former data management administrator, and the late Jim Reece, who assisted him with managing the center finances for 15 years. He commends Hideo Uno, retired core investigator, as the most honorable person with whom he has ever worked.

Shortly before his retirement, Bob acknowledged that the Operational Services staff had taken over most of his old duties. The team has added skills and perspectives that Bob was quick to praise. "They have been self-reliant 99 percent of the time. They know the technology and the nuances of the center," he says. "They also know my mind by now and they don't need to ask!"

Bob is looking forward to enjoying retirement with his wife Terry, family and friends. Although he enjoyed his recent retirement party, he has never been one to ask for thanks or praise. Instead, he's always just been there for you, always looking after your needs and always in your corner… while still keeping the auditors happy.

Sandi Alt pursues her gardening passion

By Summer Lei Shidler

Sandi Alt, who started as a lab assistant at the Harlow Lab in 1986, retired May 6 from her position as a project assistant 3. She moved to this position in 1994, after eight years assisting William McKinney, Gary Kraemer and Susan Clarke.

Sandi came to the Center to continue working with people interested in advancing knowledge relevant to human and animal health. Her experiences at the Harlow Lab showed her that her colleagues were a close-knit and caring group.

As a project assistant, Sandi worked with the D.E.A. and State licensing agencies, helped maintain standard operation procedures and did general quality assurance work for the center.

During her 17 years here, Sandi valued the people at the center as the friendliest she had ever met in the University system. Her friendships among the staff were the most enjoyable aspect of her work here.

Many of the Center’s research projects have been of great interest to Sandi. Her granddaughter was born with Down’s Syndrome in 1994, and she became personally interested in Frans de Waal’s and Lesleigh Luttrell’s study of the first monkey known to have a parallel to human Down’s Syndrome. In 1996, Sandi’s father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. At that time she was working with Hideo Uno whose research included Alzheimer’s disease so the value of the research really hit home for Sandi.

While Sandi worked at the Primate Center, she worked under five different attending veterinarians, Dan Houser, Chris O’Rourke, Darrel Florence, Carol Emerson and Iris Bolton. Sandi also recalls fond memories working with Jan Ramer, another former center vet. Sandi reflects that, "Each vet had a unique style and special interests, and it was important to be able to adapt to this. I feel I gained a wealth of experience working with veterinarians and researchers with a variety of interests. It was challenging keeping up with changes."

Like many others at the Center, Sandi participated in the primate center’s five-year base grant renewals. She also enjoyed assisting with the IPS/ASP conference hosted by  the Center in the summer of 1996 at the UW-Madison Memorial Union, as well as the Symposium on Nonhuman Primate Models for AIDS at the Monona Terrace Convention Center in October 2000.

Despite the challenges of "grant renewal season," Sandi feels her work here has been exciting and valuable. She enters retirement with the reward of knowing she did her job well.

Sandi grew up in a small rural community about an hour west of Madison. She is the oldest girl of 10 children, with five brothers and four sisters. She is happy to spend more time with her family and friends, "I visit with my dad and mother-in-law, run errands during the day when there aren’t so many people around…and I can get home before 8 p.m.!"

Sandi would like to express her appreciation for the many wonderful people she worked with at the Center. "I’ll miss them all but I’m looking forward to more working in my garden, watching the birds, and traveling."

This fall, Sandi will hone her gardening skills even more when she enrolls in the Master Gardener’s Program, a three-year seasonal course through UW-Extension. Good luck, Sandi!

This is the text-only, electronic version of Centerline, which is published twice per year by the Wisconsin Primate Research Center, 1220 Capitol Court, Madison, WI 53715-1299. This newsletter provides updates on scientific research and supporting activities funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Center for Research Resources. We welcome enquiries about our research programs in primate biomedicine and conservation. We can also provide references for scientific papers or other information concerning topics addressed in this newsletter. Please send correspondence to:

Jordana Lenon, Senior Editor
Wisconsin Primate Research Center
1220 Capitol Court
Madison, WI 53715-1299
Telephone (608)263-7024
FAX (608)263-3524
E-mail: jlenon@primate.wisc.edu