STAT+: Scientific research will be threatened unless NIH overhauls systems for tracking non-human primates, report warns

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.

Non-human primates represent just 0.5% of the animals used in biomedical research, but can be very valuable due to their similarities to humans on genetic, anatomic, physiologic, and behavioral levels. The use of these animals in early-stage research has led to treatments for a range of conditions, including Parkinson’s and sickle cell disease, and drugs for preventing organ transplant rejection.

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