Monkey in the middle

Brown-eyed Dudley, a father of six, has experienced a lot in his 25 years. In his younger days, he participated in nutrition studies and gave blood. Now that he's older, he's involved in memory-retention experiments. Scientists hope the experiments will lead to discoveries that might help slow the brain deterioration in Alzheimer's patients.

Dudley isn't a scientist; he isn't even a human. He is a rhesus macaque, one of about 4,700 monkeys who are housed and used for medical research at the California National Primate Research Center. Scientists use the monkeys to explore potential treatments for human ailments such as cancer. Other research centers across the globe do similar work.

Scientists say primate research is essential in the fight against diseases that affect millions of people each year. But opponents say primate research is immoral because the animals are subjected to painful, and sometimes deadly, experiments.

RIGHT TO LIFE

Justin Goodman, a University of Connecticut graduate student who protested the use of primates in medical research at his school, says animals feel pain and shouldn't have to endure scientists' pokes and prods. "If you step on your dog's paw, he yelps because it hurts. [Animals] experience pain. We need to consider that, [because] when we don't, we run into these problems [of mistreated animals]," Goodman told the Hartford (Conn.) Courant.

Animal Defenders International (ADI), a nonprofit group, is lobbying for the elimination of primate research. Jennifer Blum, program director of ADI in the United States, told Current Events that primates are highly functional, thinking animals with feelings. "There have been, over the years, countless studies that have proven time and time again that primates have shown high cognitive abilities ... and [that] they have extensive family bonds."

Blum says alternatives such as tissue testing are more accurate because they better replicate effects in humans. "[There are] critical biological differences [between primates and] humans that undermine research," she says.

SAVING LIVES

Scientists say research that uses primates--whose genetic makeup is very close to that of humans--has already resulted in lifesaving vaccines for some human diseases, including rabies, polio, and German measles.

A panel of British scientists who recently completed a study of primate research concluded that testing on primates is crucial. "[Testing] a small number of nonhuman primates can ensure we only proceed into human trials with vaccines that are likely to prevent millions of people dying of these diseases," panel chairperson Sir David Weatherall told the United Kingdom's Guardian Unlimited.

Some scientists say that research involving primates cannot be duplicated with alternative methods. "Everyone wants investigators to do studies on tissue culture and computer studies. There's no question that [these research methods] will increase, but it's unlikely the use of nonhuman primates will decrease," John Harding, director of primate resources for the National Institutes of Health, told The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch. "At the end of the day, you need a living, nonhuman primate, especially for vaccines, before it can go into humans."

The National Institutes of Health [NIH] is a U.S. government agency that conducts biomedical research. The organization, which is composed of 27 institutes and centers, began as the Laboratory of Hygiene at the Marine Hospital in Staten Island, N.Y., in 1887. The present name was adopted in 1948. It is now headquartered in Bethesda, Md.

Get Talking

Ask students what they know about animals used as test subjects in medical research. Why might some people oppose such research?

Notes Behind the News

Animal testing ill the United States is governed by the Animal Welfare Act of 1966, which mandates standards for care and treatment of laboratory animals. It also requires the use of painkillers in potentially painful experiments.

The Animal Enterprise Protection Act of 1992 made the disruption of animal research a federal offense. In 2000, the Chimpanzee Health Improvement, Maintenance and Protection Act (CHIMP Act) mandated that chimpanzees used in research be retired to sanctuaries rather than be euthanized.

Some experts say that fewer primates are being used in animal research. In the United Kingdom, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry told Pharma Marketletter that primate research makes up less than 1 percent of animal experiments there. At Ohio State University, 90 percent of animal experiments involve mice and other rodents.

Doing More

Have each student choose an animal used in research. Students should use print and Internet sources to learn what experiments the animal is used for and what discoveries scientists have made as a result of their research.