As Research Monkey Supply Dwindles In US, Worries Over Future Research
Animal research is in the news because the U.S. medical research system is running out of monkeys. The Wall Street Journal says a continuing supply crunch was worsened by covid, and AP reports a panel advised expanding U.S. breeding programs. Elon Musk's brain chip research is also in the news.
The Wall Street Journal:
The U.S. Is Running Out Of Research Monkeys
America’s monkey shortage is getting worse. The pandemic has exacerbated a continuing supply crunch, throttling research and threatening the country’s ability to respond to public health disasters, including the next pandemic. That is according to a new report published Thursday by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine that noted that new ways of studying biology, using artificial-intelligence models or cells in culture, aren’t ready to replace testing in monkeys. (Subbaraman, 5/4)
AP:
Research Monkey Shortage Undermines US Readiness, Panel Says
There’s a shortage of monkeys available for medical research and the U.S. should expand its breeding programs rather than rely on international suppliers to solve it, an influential scientific advisory panel said Thursday. (Neergaard, 5/4)
Stat:
Report: NIH Must Overhaul Systems For Tracking Non-Human Primates
A worsening shortage of non-human primates and an inadequate government response threatens to undermine biomedical research in the U.S. and hamper the ability to respond to public health emergencies, a sweeping new report warns. (Silverman, 5/4)
In other developments concerning animal research —
Reuters:
At Musk’s Brain-Chip Startup, Animal-Testing Panel Is Rife With Potential Conflicts
Elon Musk’s brain-implant venture has filled an animal-research oversight board with company insiders who may stand to benefit financially as the firm reaches development goals, according to company documents and interviews with six current and former employees. (Levy and Taylor, 5/4)
