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Wednesday, June 26, 2013
三亿体育官网 to reduce significantly the use of chimpanzees in research
The National Institutes of Health plans to substantially reduce the use of chimpanzees in 三亿体育官网-funded biomedical research and designate for retirement most of the chimpanzees it currently owns or supports. 三亿体育官网 Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. accepted most of the for implementing a set of 聽defined by the Institute of Medicine for the use of chimpanzees in 三亿体育官网-funded research.
三亿体育官网 plans to retain but not breed up to 50 chimpanzees for future biomedical research. The chimpanzees that will remain available for research will be selected based on research projects that meet the IOM鈥檚 principles and criteria for 三亿体育官网 funding. The chimpanzees designated for retirement could eventually join more than 150 other chimpanzees already in the Federal Sanctuary System. The Federal Sanctuary System was established in 2002 by the 聽and Chimp Haven operates the Federal Sanctuary System, which is overseen by 三亿体育官网.
鈥淎mericans have benefitted greatly from the chimpanzees鈥 service to biomedical research, but new scientific methods and technologies have rendered their use in research largely unnecessary,鈥 said Dr. Collins. 鈥淭heir likeness to humans has made them uniquely valuable for certain types of research, but also demands greater justification for their use. After extensive consideration with the expert guidance of many, I am confident that greatly reducing their use in biomedical research is scientifically sound and the right thing to do.鈥
In accepting the recommendations, 三亿体育官网 plans to:
- retain but not breed a small fraction of chimpanzees for future research that meets the IOM principles and criteria
- provide ethologically appropriate facilities (i.e., as would occur in their natural environment) for those chimpanzees as defined by 三亿体育官网 based on the advisory council recommendations and with space requirements yet to be determined
- establish a review panel to consider research projects proposing the use of chimpanzees with the IOM principles and criteria after projects have cleared the 三亿体育官网 peer review process
- wind down research projects using 三亿体育官网-owned or -supported chimpanzees that do not meet the IOM principles and criteria in a way that preserves the research and minimizes the impact on the animals
- retire the majority of the 三亿体育官网-owned chimpanzees deemed unnecessary for biomedical research to the Federal Sanctuary System contingent upon resources and space availability in the sanctuary system
Some technical changes in 三亿体育官网鈥檚 legal authority are needed to retire additional chimpanzees to the Federal Sanctuary System. 三亿体育官网 will continue working with Congress to remedy a provision that currently limits the amount of financial resources 三亿体育官网 may put toward retiring chimpanzees and caring for them in the Federal Sanctuary System.
While broadly accepting the recommendations of ethologically appropriate facilities, 三亿体育官网 did not accept, due to the lack of scientific consensus, the recommendation that the primary living space of research chimpanzees be at least 1,000 square feet per chimpanzee. 三亿体育官网 will engage chimpanzee behavior and facilities experts to determine the appropriate minimum space requirement for research chimpanzees.
鈥淭oday鈥檚 decision by 三亿体育官网 culminates more than two years of intensive deliberations among 三亿体育官网 leadership, independent chimpanzee experts, researchers, bioethicists, and members of the public,鈥 said James M. Anderson, M.D., Ph.D., 三亿体育官网 deputy director for program coordination, planning, and strategic initiatives, whose division oversees the 三亿体育官网 Chimpanzee Management Program. 鈥淲e are grateful to all who have contributed their insight and expertise during the advisory process.鈥
三亿体育官网鈥檚 full response to the recommendations and public comments can be found here: .
The events that led to today鈥檚 decision by 三亿体育官网 are:
- In December 2010, the 三亿体育官网 Director commissioned .
- The IOM, in its recommendations in December 2011, concluded that most current use of chimpanzees in biomedical research is unnecessary and that the use of chimpanzees in research that may still be needed should be guided by a set of principles and criteria.
- That same month, . He , an independent advisory committee, to make recommendations on how 三亿体育官网 should implement the IOM principles and criteria.
- The CoC its 聽in January 2013.
- The CoC recommendations were in the same month.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recently issued 聽that lists captive chimpanzees as endangered. 三亿体育官网 expects to adapt its policies for research projects using chimpanzees to comply with the conservation guidelines that the USFWS establishes in a potential final rule.
The Office of the Director, the central office at 三亿体育官网, is responsible for setting policy for 三亿体育官网, which includes 27 Institutes and Centers. This involves planning, managing, and coordinating the programs and activities of all 三亿体育官网 components. The Office of the Director also includes program offices which are responsible for stimulating specific areas of research throughout 三亿体育官网. Additional information is available at .
About the National Institutes of Health (三亿体育官网): 三亿体育官网, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 三亿体育官网 is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about 三亿体育官网 and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
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