The National Institute on Aging (NAI) and the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center are proud to announce the release of the internet Primate Aging Database (iPAD), a new tool for researchers interested in studying biomarkers of aging in nonhuman primates.

The iPAD is a multi-centered, relational database of biological variables in aging, captive nonhuman primates. iPAD provides an invaluable veterinary and clinical resource capable of generating normative values from over half a million data points drawn from 18 different species, including representatives of Aotus, Callithrix, Cebuella, Leontopithecus, Saguinus and Saimiri. These data were drawn from routine screenings of healthy animals at regular intervals throughout their lifetimes, and include blood chemistry, hematology, and body weight. Users of the database are able to access individual data points at the species-, biomarker- or site-specific level, and are able to export and manipulate the data at will.

The iPAD database has already resulted in several papers published in peer-reviewed journals, and its usefulness increases as new datasets are contributed. iPAD is now expanding the number of species and measurements in the database, and augmenting the number of data points for existing species. Researchers interested in becoming a part of this collaborative effort and contributing data from healthy, non-experimental primates are encouraged to contact the System Administrator, Wendy Newton, at <wnewton@primate.wisc.edu> for more information. The iPAD database is available online at < http://ipad.primate.wisc.edu>.