PETA – Why Federally-Funded Primate Laboratories Must Close

Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel, Senior Science Advisor on primate experimentation with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) discusses her prior work with primates as “biomedical models” and how the National Primate Research Centers (NPRCs) have failed not only to provide any new discoveries or lead to treatment for infectious diseases but also to prevent or arrest the introduction and spread of harmful viruses, bacteria, and fungi in the laboratories even though these pathogens can cause disease and death in the monkeys and spill over into human communities. Continued reliance on monkeys means that epidemiological studies, cutting-edge computer modeling, and molecular simulations, 3D printed human tissues, and microchips lined with living human cells go underfunded. Research must be modernized, and the first step is to close the primate centers and put the money into research that promises to deliver results.

Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel is a senior science advisor on primate experimentation for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). A Fulbright scholar who has studied the human-primate interface in Africa, Asia, and the primate biomedical facilities of the U.S. for nearly 40 years, she has published 95 peer-reviewed articles spanning the fields of primatology, virology, epidemiology, microbiology, and conservation. Her work includes addressing the neglect and disease risk posed by the University of Washington’s Washington National Primate Research Center, where she worked before coming to PETA.