Are chimpanzees necessary for medical research? A report from the Institute of Medicine out today answers that question with a very qualified “yes,” saying that most biomedical experiments don’t require the use of chimps and that given the genetic ties and physical traits the animals share with humans, the NIH should fund such research only in certain specific circumstances. The recommendations, which apply to research funded or supported by the NIH, include three criteria for the use of chimps in biomedical research: there must be no other suitable lab or animal models available, the research can’t be ethically done in humans and forgoing the use of chimps “will significantly slow or prevent important advancements to prevent, control and/or treat life-threatening or debilitating conditions.” The report was commissioned by the NIH. The director of the NIH, Francis Collins, said in a statement the organization would accept the recommendations. Meeting the IOM’s criteria for biomedical research: the development of a small number of monoclonal antibody therapies. New methods of developing those therapies are being adopted, but some therapies already in the pipeline require the continued use of chimps, the report says. It’s also possible that chimps are necessary to develop a preventive vaccine against hepatitis C, but the committee couldn’t reach a consensus on that point, the report says. “The bar is very high,” said Jeffrey Kahn, a professor of bioethics and public policy at Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and the chair of the IOM committee, at a press conference. He said the committee anticipated a decline over time in the demand for chimps for research, and urged the development of new non-chimp models. But the committee said

it couldn’t definitively predict or forecast the future need for chimps in research, since an emerging disease or new disorder might require their use at some point. In terms of NIH-funded behavioral research in chimps, studies “should provide otherwise unattainable insight into comparative genomics, normal and abnormal behavior, mental health, emotion, or cognition” and must be performed “on acquiescent animals, in a manner that minimizes pain and distress and is minimally invasive,” the report says. Animals used in both medical and behavioral research should be housed in natural habitats or in appropriate physical and social environments, the report says. The subject of the study received intense public attention, attracting more than 5,800 comments, said Harvey Fineberg, the IOM’s president. Still, Kahn said only about 40 to 50 projects involving chimps are funded by the NIH year, out of a total of about 90,000 annually. The latest figures show about 937 chimps are in various primate facilities and research colonies, 612 of them owned by or supported by the NIH. Collins said the NIH is developing a plan and putting together a working group to implement the IOM’s recommendations. The NIH won’t issue any new awards for chimpanzee research until an implementation is in place, he said. Ongoing projects will be reviewed on a case by case basis, he said. Collins said there are currently roughly 27 external and 10 internal projects that involve chimps and receive NIH funding, and that half may not meet the IOM’s criteria. Research not meeting the IOM’s criteria will be phased out. Update: Adds comment from NIH. Photo: iStockphoto

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IOM Says Chimpanzees Aren’t Necessary For Most Medical Research