About Yerkes

The Yerkes National Primate Research Center of Emory University is an international leader in biomedical and behavioral research. Research conducted at the center involving nonhuman primates provides a critical link between research with small laboratory animals and clinical trials with humans. The center houses nearly 3,400 nonhuman primates and more than 5,000 rodents between two locations at its main center on Emory's Atlanta campus and its field station in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

For more than seven decades, the Yerkes Research Center has been dedicated to advancing scientific understanding of primate biology, behavior, veterinary care and conservation, and to improving human health and well-being. Today, the center, as one of only eight National Institutes of Health–funded national primate research centers, provides specialized scientific resources, expertise and training opportunities.

Recognized as a multidisciplinary research institute, the Yerkes Research Center is making landmark discoveries in the fields of microbiology and immunology, neuroscience, psychobiology and sensory-motor systems. Research programs are seeking ways to: develop vaccines for infectious and noninfectious diseases; treat cocaine addiction; interpret brain activity through imaging; increase understanding of progressive illnesses such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s; unlock the secrets of memory; determine behavioral effects of hormone replacement therapy; address vision disorders; and advance knowledge about the evolutionary links between biology and behavior.




Programs at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center are supported in part by Base Grant No. RR-00165 awarded by the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes of Health.

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