The Common Marmoset in Captivity and Biomedical Research

Book excerpt: The Common Marmoset in Captivity and Biomedical Research is the first text dedicated exclusively to this species,filling an urgent need for an encyclopedic compilation of the existing information. Sponsored by the AmericanCollege of Laboratory Animal Medicine as part of its authoritative Blue Book series, the book covers the biology,management, diseases, and clinical and research applications of this important species. The common marmoset(Callithrix jacchus) has come of age in the scientific community as a behaviorally complex, cognitively advanced,small, prolific, and easily maintained nonhuman primate with many of the advantages of larger animals, such asmacaques, but without the attendant physical and zoonotic risks. Marmosets are currently being used in diverse areas of inquiry, including vision and auditory research, infectious disease, cognitive neuroscience, behavior, reproductive biology, toxicology and drug development, and aging. Themarmoset genome has been sequenced and there is currently an intensive effort to apply gene editing technologies to the species. The creation of transgenic marmosets will provide researchers with a small nonhuman primatemodel to study a number of poorly understood disorders, like autism. - Presents a complete view of the marmoset, covering their biology and management, diseases and clinical applications, and research applications - Includes contributions from renowned and international authors and editors - Provides the first authoritative and comprehensive treatment of marmosets in biomedical research as part of the ACLAM Series