Assessing The Use Of Chimpanzees In Research
A report recently issued by the national Institute of Medicine is resulting in major changes in whether and how chimpanzees are used for research in the United States (one of only two countries in the world that permit the use of chimps at all).
A report recently issued by the National Institute of Medicine is resulting in major changes in whether and how chimpanzees are used for research in the United States (one of only two countries in the world that permit the use of chimps at all).
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Study Summary
A scientific committee looked at the current and potential uses of chimpanzees in both biomedical and behavioral research as well as the alternatives to such use, which include more modern nonanimal and clinical trials but also the continued use of other species of primates and genetically modified mice. The committee concluded that “most current use of chimpanzees in biomedical research is unnecessary.” However, the committee did not recommend a ban on chimp use; it left the laboratory door open for the possibility of using chimpanzees for developing monoclonal antibodies and studies of hepatitis C, or for any “new, emerging or re-emerging disease.”
Policy Implications
The study itself illustrates how scientific practices involving animals can be influenced by an analytical review that takes both efficacy and ethics into consideration. The release of the study has already resulted in a suspension of NIH funding for new experiments involving chimpanzees, although those already in progress will not be halted. There are still more than 1,000 chimpanzees being held in laboratories across the country, but the report gives momentum to efforts to transfer those individuals to permanent sanctuaries.
The new ASI policy paper, “The Bioethics of Great Ape Well-Being: Psychiatric Injury and Duty of Care,” discusses the mental and physical harm suffered by chimpanzees in laboratories and makes the case for what other countries have already implemented: a complete ban on chimpanzee use and testing.
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This research nutshell comes from Che Green at HRC and Jill Howard Church at the Animals and Society Institute (ASI), an organization dedicated to policy-oriented research and human-animal studies. HRC and ASI already collaborate on multiple projects and we will work together to identify important studies for future research nutshells.
See the original post on the ASI website.