Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops)
This project is performing whole genome sequencing on the vervets (African Green Monkeys) at the Wake Forest University Primate Center Vervet Research Colony (VRC) to help to inform treatment of various diseases that afflict both vervets and humans.
The VRC vervets are model organisms for a number of studies into diabetes, cardiovascular disease, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson’s, substance abuse, attention deficit disorder, alcoholism, reproduction, tissue regeneration and other conditions.
The monkeys are well characterized as to their clinical characteristics, or phenotype. The goal is to sequence 700 genomes from monkeys that are or were in the colony to correlate this phenotypic data with the monkeys’ genetic characteristics, or genotype. This will provide a valuable research tool for present and future researchers and will help to inform treatment of various diseases that afflict both vervets and humans.
Other vervet projects going on at the Genome Institute include:
