Animal welfare organizations praise CDC's reported decision to gradually eliminate all research involving monkeys.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is set to discontinue its research involving monkeys, according to a recent report. Researchers at the Atlanta-based agency have long used rhesus and pig-tailed macaques to study infectious diseases including HIV, hepatitis, and tuberculosis.

The decision affects nearly 200 macaques, though the future of these animals has not yet been determined, Science Magazine reports.

This shift aligns with a broader trend among US federal agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration, to move away from non-human primate studies. Instead, funding is increasingly directed toward human-relevant research, including chip-based systems that simulate human biology and lab-grown organs.

Animal welfare advocates have praised the CDCs move as a significant step toward more ethical research practices. Wayne Pacelle, president of the Centre for Humane Economy, stated that recognizing the high costs, limited predictive value, and moral issues of primate research is a "landmark development" in scientific research.

Janine McCarthy, acting director of research policy at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, described the decision as historic. She emphasized that the CDC should now redirect resources toward human-relevant studies and ensure that the remaining monkeys are placed in sanctuaries.

The announcement comes amid growing public concern over primate research, highlighted by several incidents of lab monkeys escaping in the US over the past two decades, raising fears about disease transmission to communities and emergency personnel.

However, some researchers have expressed worry about the impact on ongoing studies, particularly those related to HIV prevention and treatment. Deborah Fuller from the Washington National Primate Research Centre noted that CDC monkey studies have been essential in developing preventive therapies, calling the cessation a "huge loss" for the field due to the lack of viable alternatives.

Analysis: CDC's Shift Away from Primate Research

The CDC’s decision to end research involving nearly 200 macaques reflects a significant pivot in US biomedical research priorities. For decades, these primates have been instrumental in studying infectious diseases such as HIV, hepatitis, and tuberculosis.

This move aligns with a broader federal trend, with agencies like the NIH and FDA increasingly funding human-relevant models, including organ-on-chip systems and lab-grown tissues. The shift underscores both ethical considerations and the scientific limitations of primate models, particularly their predictive value for human health outcomes.

While animal welfare groups have welcomed the decision, noting it as a milestone for more humane research, the scientific community faces challenges. Ongoing studies, especially in HIV prevention and treatment, may be affected, with researchers expressing concern over the loss of established models and the absence of fully validated alternatives.

Overall, the CDC’s announcement highlights the tension between advancing ethical research practices and maintaining continuity in critical disease research, signaling a transition toward technologies that more directly mimic human biology while reducing reliance on non-human primates.

Sources:

• Animal welfare groups hail reported move by CDC to phase out all monkey research