Sci@Night

UK report supports primate research

Having seen at first hand the terror and fear instilled by a small minority of extremist animal rights activists, not least the strain put on Police resources near my childhood home (Huntingdon Life Sciences, a major target, is located nearby), I realise that the use of primates in research is a topic close to the hearts of many. However, intelligent discussion rather than radical violence is the only route towards an informed debate. Let’s hope that this BBC article, written about the publication of a recent government report, can help add to that dialogue.

The Weatherall report was commissioned by the Academy of Medical Sciences, Royal Society, Medical Research Council and Wellcome Trust to review the scientific case for [primate research].

Its chair, Sir David Weatherall, emeritus professor of medicine at Oxford University, said: “There is a scientific case for careful, well-monitored and meticulously regulated non-human primate research, at least for the foreseeable future, provided it is the only way of solving important scientific or medical questions.

“At this moment in time, if we were to take [primate research] away tomorrow, there would be certain areas of science which I think might suffer very greatly,” Sir David added.

A nine-strong working group spent 18 months examining the areas of science where primates are most heavily employed, although it did not look at their use for toxicity testing of medicines.

It concluded non-human primate research remained vital for understanding the basic biology of the brain, neurological diseases, communicable diseases, and some aspects of fertility and ageing.

[UK experts back primate research]

Leave a Comment so far
Leave a comment