SARS-CoV-2 infected tissues in the penis, prostate, testicles and temperature-regulating veins of three male rhesus monkeys at Tulane National Primate Research Center, suggesting that COVID-19 may interfere with male fertility. Cells in male reproductive organs have a high number of ACE2 enzymes, which SARS-CoV-2 uses to enter cells and replicate.

Scientists study dogs and cats to end cancer as we know it for other dogs and cats as well as people, writes veterinarian Rodney Lee Page, a professor of oncology at Colorado State University. About 85% of DNA in all three species is the same, all three share living environments, and all are susceptible to many of the same diseases, including cancer, making it possible to extrapolate data from pets to humans and cutting the time to medical discoveries by decades, Page writes.

An organ transplant procedure that showed promise in animal studies may prolong the life of a baby born with multiple heart defects and a deficient thymus. A pediatric cardiac surgery team at Duke University implanted thymus tissue from the heart donor, and team leader Dr. Joseph Turek says if the approach succeeds, "it would mean transplant recipients would not reject the donated organ and they would also not need to undergo treatment with long-term immune-suppression medications, which can be highly toxic, particularly to the kidneys."

Small beads containing cells that produce interleukin-2 implanted in the peritoneum of mice eradicated advanced ovarian cancer in 100% of animals and colorectal cancer in seven of eight mice within six days of treatment, according to a study in Science Advances. The beads deliver a continuous, high dose of immunotherapy to tumors without causing systemic toxicity and can be programmed to deactivate after a certain time.

The skin and kidneys of middle-age mice appeared younger after the mice were given four molecules known as Yamanaka factors for 7 to 10 months, researchers reported in Nature Aging. The gene therapy could be developed into a treatment that prevents age-related diseases such as cancer, osteoporosis and Alzheimer's disease, says researcher Heinrich Jasper, a principal fellow and director at Genentech.

Veterinary studies recently listed in the AVMA Animal Health Studies Database include research on percutaneous cryoablation to target tumors in dogs and cats, biomarkers of canine temporal lobe epilepsy, effects of probiotics on dogs that experience seizures, and feline cognitive dysfunction.

The list of animals known to be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 has grown to 29 species, and while few can transmit the virus back to humans, the virus could mutate into a transmissible and dangerous form in animal reservoirs. The virus could also be evolving in species that haven't been studied, says Eman Anis, an assistant professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine, and it "will probably change different ways in different animals," says Frederic Bushman, a professor of microbiology at Penn's Perelman School of Medicine.

Officials in Prince William County, Va., transferred $100,000 to offset the cost of constructing a biosafety level 2 animal research lab. Biomedical research starts with computer models and cells, but federal laws require safety and efficacy testing with animals before therapies are tested in people, making animals "critical for biomedical research," according to Cohava Gelber, founder of Caerus Discovery, which will run the lab.

Watch the latest episode in FBR's miniseries "The Role of Animals in Biomedical Research" to learn more about these small yet mighty creatures. Please leave a comment on YouTube to let us know what you think. Watch and share.

FBR Real Pet Stories™ has the purr-fect story for you -- Ruppert's story! We hope the heartwarming tale of love for animals and adoption from a research facility fills your heart with delight. Meet Ruppert.

The brains of monkeys and mice could hold answers about how to best treat common human mental health illnesses such as anxiety and depression. There is hope to further unlock medical mysteries. FBR extends a big thank you to Drs. Robert Wurtz and Angela Roberts for their scientific expertise and contributions to this Unlocking Medical Miracles article. Read more.