CDC to end animal testing in groundbreaking decision that will impact hundreds of experiments
In a significant policy shift, the Trump administration has directed the CDC to halt all scientific research on monkeys and apes, advancing its broader push to phase out animal testing.
An HHS spokesperson exclusively told the Daily Mail that the affected research is ‘long-term basic research,’ driven by scientific curiosity to understand core principles, such as the causes of Alzheimer’s or new surgical techniques, rather than by specific product development.
According to a plan shared exclusively with the Daily Mail, any research involving non-human primates (NHP) will be halted, and for any experiments already underway, the CDC must now determine how to end them as quickly and ethically as possible.
The CDC must evaluate every monkey in its care to determine which are healthy enough for sanctuary relocation. The agency had about 500 primates in 2006, though current totals are unclear. The Trump administration did not detail plans for animals too sick to be relocated.
The CDC must also establish a rigorous vetting process for potential sanctuaries, estimate relocation costs, and ensure the facilities are of high quality. The administration did not name the specific sanctuaries, though at least 10 exist in the US.
Since this process will take some time, the CDC must use the best possible methods to minimize any pain, distress, or discomfort for the monkeys still in their temporary care, according to the outline of the plan.
The CDC will also develop a separate plan to reduce the overall number of animals it uses for research and ensure that the research involving animals ‘is directly aligned with CDC’s mission,’ which is stated to be to safeguard the health of all Americans by driving progress through science, technology and innovation.
NHPs represent a small proportion, estimated at half of one percent, of all the animals used in US biomedical research. The vast majority of animal testing, about 95 percent, involves mice and rats, which are not affected by this policy change.
To model diseases like Parkinson’s, primates endure invasive brain surgery, chemical brain lesions or genetic modification, which cause significant distress and permanent harm. In other tests, they are force-fed or injected with substances to find a lethal dose, a process that can induce vomiting, seizures and fatal organ failure
The newest directive only affects CDC labs. It does not touch the hundreds of NIH-funded institutions that test on animals in medical research.
NHPs encompass macaques, marmosets, baboons, African green monkeys and squirrel monkeys, primarily for neuroscience, HIV/AIDS research, immunology and vaccine development due to their biological similarities to humans.
Great apes, including chimpanzees and orangutans, are used very sparingly due to endangered species protections, while smaller primates like marmosets are increasingly used, especially in genetics and brain research.
While they constitute a small percentage of animal species currently in federally funded labs nationwide, NHPs have made immeasurable contributions to clinical research, particularly in neurological disorders.
Scientists have used lab monkeys to identify which regions of the brain form memories, how the build-up of amyloid beta in the brain contributes to Alzheimer’s symptoms and determine the cell-level mechanisms that contribute to neurodegeneration.
NHPs are also valuable models in cardiovascular research thanks to the similarities between the simian and human cardiovascular systems.
But their treatment in federally-funded labs is, in many cases, what animal rights activists deem unethical and scientifically unnecessary.
NHPs encompass macaques, marmosets, baboons, African green monkeys and squirrel monkeys. In rare cases, researchers use chimps
For diseases like HIV/AIDS and Ebola, researchers intentionally infect primates with the viruses. The journal Positively Aware reported that this research has been crucial for developing HIV prevention tools like PrEP.
To study conditions like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, primates may undergo brain surgery to implant devices, such as Elon Musk’s Neuralink, have specific brain regions chemically damaged to induce symptoms or be genetically modified.
These procedures can cause significant distress and permanent impairment.
In some tests, primates are force-fed or injected with experimental chemicals or drugs to determine a lethal dose, a process that can involve vomiting, seizures, and organ failure before eventual death.
Opponents, including animal rights groups and some scientists, point to high failure rates, particularly in AIDS research. Critics argue this makes the suffering inflicted not only cruel but scientifically wasteful.
There is also evidence that nearly all imported monkeys are endangered, with some potentially sourced from illegal wildlife trafficking.
Dr Kathy Strickland, a veterinarian with more than 20 years of clinical experience and a former small-animal emergency practitioner, stepped away from clinical work in 2020, shifting to veterinary practice within research labs that include primates in research.
She worked in public research labs for two years.
On June 28, 2016, researcher Jennifer Post collected a saliva sample from a pregnant rhesus macaque infected with Zika virus at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center. A study released that day revealed the virus persisted much longer in pregnant monkeys (30-70 days) than in others (~7 days)
Lab-grown tissues and organoids are promising tools that can reduce animal testing, but they cannot yet fully replace primate studies in complex, system-level research. They lack the integrated physiology needed to study brain-wide circuits, immune responses, or interactions between organs
She told the Daily Mail: ‘During that time, I witnessed and documented serious animal welfare, husbandry, and ethical concerns within the laboratory animal research system.’
Strickland added that she is grateful to hear that the Trump administration was making significant moves to phase out animal research.
‘As a veterinarian I was appalled at the care and treatment of these animals that would significantly impact any research that they were used for.
‘Tens of thousands of these sentient beings are destroyed in the name of science each year, when research results are clear that experiments on them do not result in data that correlates to human medicine usage.’
The shift away from animal testing will see scientists use AI-based computational models and lab-grown human tissue, organoids, to improve drug safety predictions and accelerate development.
Lab-grown human tissues and organoids are powerful and promising complements to animal testing, but they are not yet universally solid, one-to-one replacements for NHP studies, especially for complex systems-level research.
They lack the interconnected physiology of a whole living organism, which is critical for studying brain-wide neural circuits, systemic immune responses or organ-to-organ interactions.
Images of Cages Used for Neuralink Monkeys at UC Davis. Elon Musk’s implant company Neuralink, which aims to enable brains to connect and communicate with computers, has acknowledged that monkeys died as part of its testing procedures, but denies allegations of animal cruelty
Apart from the NIH’s retirement of research chimpanzees initiated a decade ago, the Trump Administration’s policy shift marks the first time a US agency has ended its in-house nonhuman primate program.
The health agency’s latest update follows other initiatives the administration has taken to phase out animal testing in biomedical research.
The FDA announced in April that its researchers are replacing NHP testing for monoclonal antibodies and other drugs with more modern methods still relevant to humans.
In November, a top agency official, a former DOGE employee, issued a directive to phase out all monkey research, ending studies involving roughly 200 macaques.
These animals now face an uncertain future. Some may be transferred to sanctuaries, while others could be euthanized.
An HHS spokesperson told the Daily Mail that ‘there will be no testing on humans in place of this at CDC.’
A baby Barbary macaque is pictured with its mother. Nonhuman primates (NHPs) represent a small proportion, estimated at half of one percent, of all the animals used in US biomedical research. But their use in medical research has been a lightning rod among the animal rights movement
Groups like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine have lobbied state governments and private entities to close research labs that have a history of experimenting on primates, including the Oregon Health & Science University-run Oregon National Primate Research Center.
The facility maintains about 5,000 monkeys used in basic science research, the type the CDC is aiming to transform in its latest policy shift. Advocacy groups argue the living conditions and experiments performed on the animals are inhumane, and the research itself is inessential.
In March, the Physicians Committee bought time on an Oregon news station and local radio stations to air spots that feature the tagline: ‘If OHSU can’t care for a monkey, how can they care for you?’
The advertisements direct people to a site that encourages visitors to comment on a merger that would see OHSU purchase state healthcare company Legacy Health. Animal rights groups want to make closing the research facility a condition of OHSU’s purchase.
Strickland said: ‘Medical research has advanced tremendously in alternative research methods that result in faster and more promising results for human medicine.
‘Phasing out research on NHPs is a step in the right direction for medical research, taxpayer waste and more importantly for the animals that suffer and are killed by this industry.’
