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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is phasing out research carried on monkeysAccording to a new report.
Scientists regularly use rhesus and pig-tailed macaques kept here CDC Headquarters atlantaStudying infectious diseases such as HIV, hepatitis and tuberculosis.
The agency’s decision ended studies conducted on nearly 200 macaquesBut the fate of the captive monkeys remains unclear, science magazine Report.
The move follows steps taken by several federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration going away From studies on non-human primates. Instead they are investing in research into human biology and chip-based systems that simulate human organs grown in the lab.
Animal welfare groups welcomed the CDC’s decision and called it a major development toward finding ethical alternatives.
Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Humane Economy, said, “Having a top science agency recognize the enormous expense of acquiring and using primates, the poor consequences for human predation, and the ethical concerns about the use of these cognitively complex animals is a historic development.” “This research is a seismic development in science.”
Janine McCarthy, acting director of research policy at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, called the decision “historic.”
“For the first time, a US agency is choosing modern, human-relevant science over a failing system Monkey Experiment,” Dr. McCarthy said.
“Now, CDC must use that funding to transition to human-relevant research and ensure that these monkeys are sent to sanctuaries for the rest of their lives.”
The decision also comes amid a growing public outcry over experimentation on monkeys, which has made headlines due to incidents of primates escaping from research facilities.
The US alone has reported more than a dozen incidents of lab monkeys escaping over the past two decades, raising concerns about the risk of diseases spreading to first responders and surrounding communities.
However, some scientists have expressed concern about the fate of ongoing studies involving monkeys in the wake of the CDC’s decision.
He noted that CDC studies on monkeys have been important in developing prophylaxis and preventive drugs for HIV.
“This is a huge loss for the HIV field,” said Deborah Fuller of the Washington National Primate Research Center. Science magazine. “There are no real alternatives.”