OHSU addresses claims made in campaign to close Oregon National Primate Research Center

 

1. Claim: OHSU can use the money from closing the ONPRC to focus on patient care. 

ONPRC response: This statement is inaccurate and compares apples to oranges.  

1. The Oregon National Primate Research Center is mostly funded by highly competitive, research-specific grant awards from the National Institutes of Health, or NIH; research foundations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation; industry partners; and philanthropy. These funds can only be used for specific research projects. Those funds are not being taken away from patient care and education, nor can they be repurposed for those uses if the center were to close.  

2. In fact, the research happening at the ONPRC supports better patient care by finding new medicines to cure and treat diseases like vaccines for COVID-19, polio, smallpox, mumps and measles; new treatments for infertility, heart disease, addiction and diabetes; and breakthroughs in Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases, blindness, stroke and depression.  

3. OHSU does not control the disposition of the land on which the Oregon National Primate Research resides. The NIH funds the primate center’s facilities and operations. NIH approval is required for any sale of the property and would likely limit the proceeds available to OHSU. In fact, closing the primate center would cost OHSU approximately $100 million.  

4. The center also helps promote education by training students interested in laboratory animal science, medical and research fields.  

2. Claim: Animal research is cruel. 

ONPRC response: We limit the use of all animals and nonhuman primates in biomedical research studies to the minimum number required and only for studies where no other viable alternative exists. We are working toward the goal of ultimately eliminating the need for animals, and specifically nonhuman primates, to conduct research. Despite great advances in new approach methodology, the technology to eliminate animal research isn’t there yet. At the ONPRC, we are investing to promote the discovery and refinement of alternative methods which have reduced the number of animals required for research. Continued research using nonhuman primates is required to continue development of alternatives and to validate their efficacy. 

1. Investment of taxpayer dollars in biomedical research is among the best investments. Although less than 1% of the federal budget goes to the NIH, the investment has a big impact. The United for Medical Research coalition estimates that every $1 invested in scientific research through the NIH produces $2.56 in new economic activity, a more than 250% gain in investment. Further, NIH research supports more than 400,000 jobs across the U.S. Research funded by the NIH has led to major breakthroughs and contributions to human health, including prevention, treatment and cures for cancer, heart disease and Type 1 diabetes. The cost of caring for the aging population is predicted to be in the trillions of dollars for conditions that could be prevented or treated by discoveries in biomedical research, saving tax dollars.  

2. We take great care of our nonhuman primates: 

• They are born naturally outside and grow up with their social groups, or families. Most of our animals live in these large, outdoor family groups. 
• They receive excellent medical and dental care from veterinarian specialists trained in nonhuman primate care. 
• Caretakers know the animals in the studies and form deep bonds with them, providing the best possible care, including abundant nutritional food, lots of enrichment in the form of treats, puzzles and touch screens, and frequent interaction. 
• Animals on research protocols live indoors with other animals in pairs or groups. 

3. Research is heavily regulated for good reason, and research investigators who want to work with nonhuman primates must first: 

• Get approval from the NIH scientific peer review panel to ensure the biomedical research question being asked is important to human health and that the data generated will help answer the question. 
• Prove that the research question can only be addressed in nonhuman primates and not in another species like mice or rats or by using non-animal methodologies. 
• Justify how many animals they are requesting to be sure that it is not too many or too few to answer the scientific question. 
• Get approval from the OHSU Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. 
• Follow all federal regulations and guidelines from the United States Department of Agriculture, the NIH and AAALAC. 

4. Research animals receive analgesics (i.e., pain relievers) for painful procedures. As with any procedure, we cannot eliminate all pain but seek to diminish pain and distress to the greatest extent possible. All procedures are performed by highly trained animal care technicians and veterinary specialists. 

 

3. Claim: Animal research is old-fashioned science and no longer necessary. 

ONPRC response: While scientific advancements have introduced alternative non-animal models, this technology cannot fully replicate the complexity of a living system at this time. Nonhuman primate research remains critical for studying conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, infectious diseases and reproductive health — areas where animal-free methods cannot yet provide complete answers. 

• ONPRC has contributed to breakthrough medical discoveries that have improved and saved millions of lives. We make medical breakthroughs possible, because results in nonhuman primates can directly translate to humans. Even negative results are useful as they provide important information on whether a treatment should advance to human trials and, if so, identify necessary modifications prior to advancing to patient studies.  
• We are proud of what we have discovered and how it advances human health and medical knowledge. The research findings are published and available to the public. A good place to look for some recent breakthroughs is at www.nprc.org  
• Although nonhuman primates represent less than 1% of all animals used in research, they have had a significant effect in improving human health. Their contribution continues to be necessary because cell culture and other alternative models cannot mimic complex organisms. While artificial intelligence and other forms of research hold promise for developing prevention, treatment and cures, it relies on preclinical and clinical information that must be validated, and in many cases, still relies on animal models. As the human population ages and rates of diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, obesity and diabetes grow, research in nonhuman primates continues to be critical for emergent public health issues, including vaccine development in the face of the next pandemic.  
• For ethical and regulatory reasons, some research must take place in nonhuman primates before moving into human clinical trials. 
• We welcome visitors and questions, accommodating as many as 2,000 visitors a year. A virtual tour is available on our website. 
• We have used alternatives to animal models to complement our research for many years and have made investments in further advancing this technology. We anticipate continuing the transition to non-animal models as these models are scientifically validated using data derived from animal studies. 

Examples: 

• Infant Health – ONPRC scientists confirmed the importance of two critical nutrients, taurine and omega-3 fatty acids, for the development of the retina and the brain, which led to human infant clinical trials and, as a result, are now provided in human infant formulas worldwide.  

• Vaccines and Infectious Disease Research – ONPRC studies were key to the development of COVID-19, Zika and HIV vaccines and treatments. 

• Neurological Disorders – ONPRC research has advanced treatments for Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. 

• Fertility and Cancer Therapies – Studies at ONPRC have led to preserving fertility in people who have survived cancer. 

 

4. Claim: The center should be closed because of all the animal care incidents. 

ONPRC response: We understand the profound responsibility that comes with using nonhuman primates in research. When there is an incident, we report it to the appropriate regulatory agencies and follow up with a deep root-cause analysis to improve care and reduce future risk.  

1. Research animal care is one of the most highly regulated areas of veterinary medicine. 

• Before any research is conducted with animals, research projects must be reviewed and approved for scientific value and justification of the need for animals and species by scientists at the granting agency.  
• Only after a study is deemed to be of scientific value is it possible to request approval from the OHSU Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. IACUC membership is dictated by federal law and minimally comprises one or more veterinarian specialists, practicing scientists, an individual whose primary expertise is nonscientific (ethicist, lawyer, clergy) and a community representative not affiliated with the institution. Additional committee members provide expertise in specific areas of research. The IACUC is required under federal law.   
• After approval to perform the research project, studies continue to be reviewed by veterinarians who work with the animals, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and federal regulators. This process is called “post-approval monitoring,” and it is a critical requirement for research programs using animals because it contributes to a philosophy of continuous improvement. 
• Federal oversight, international accreditation and openness process: 
• NIH organizes reviews of grants and requires annual progress reports, which are available to the public. 
• IACUC approves all studies using animals, including: 
• Justification for the use of animals  
• Requirement to minimize the number of animals 
• Requirement not to duplicate studies  
• Justification for all animal procedures 
• United States Department of Agriculture performs unannounced inspections  
• AAALAC provides regular evaluations, which is the gold standard of laboratory animal care 
• Voluntary participation 
• ONPRC has been accredited continuously since 1974 as an exemplary program 
• The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, or OLAW, provides assurance for NIH funded facilities by complying with the Public Health Service Policy on the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. OLAW is involved in reports and investigations of noncompliance in animal care and has the authority to rescind NIH research funding if noncompliance is found.  
• After investigations are completed, reports of incidents can be found on the OHSU/ONPRC website. The ONPRC posted this information prior to the implementation of Oregon state law mandating reporting. 

2. The USDA has a zero-tolerance policy, which means every incident that occurs must be cited. 

• The zero-tolerance approach of regulatory agencies for research animals means that any infraction results in a citation even if the incident could not be realistically anticipated. For example, an animal injured in a loading chute while being transferred could be the first in tens of thousands of chute accesses, but it would still result in a citation, even if we corrected the design issue. In the case of a chute injury, USDA may have inspected the facility for years and never commented on the design.  
• Since 2003, the ONPRC has been inspected by the USDA 43 times, which is twice the frequency required by the Animal Welfare Regulations. During this time, ONPRC has received no citations classified as “direct.” Direct citations are issued when the inspector directly observes a situation having a serious impact on animal welfare during an inspection. In other words, during 43 inspections, no USDA inspectors reported observing serious animal welfare concerns, which is not consistent with an incompetent or negligent animal care program.  
• Most citations received by the ONPRC involved incidents identified and corrected before the USDA performed an inspection and issued the citation.  
• ONPRC has made inspection reports from regulatory agencies available on our public website for years, long before we were mandated to do so by state law. 
• We perform root-cause analyses after every incident and quickly implement any necessary changes. Programmatic changes are reviewed and approved by the regulatory agencies who oversee the center. 
• Citations have been given to the ONPRC for non-animal incidents, such as storing animal feed too close to a wall and the presence of cobwebs in a location inaccessible to nonhuman primates. It is important to recognize that anti-animal research organizations often group all citations together regardless of whether the event had a significant impact on animal welfare. 

3. Oversight body authority  

• The attending veterinarian is responsible for overseeing the health and well-being of the animals. This includes the provision of appropriate clinical care, the relief of discomfort consistent with professionally accepted standards of veterinary practice, and the legal authority to discontinue a study based on animal welfare.   
• The USDA has the authority to close research institutions that have inadequate programs of animal care. 
• AAALAC has the authority to remove accreditation.

• OLAW has the authority to remove the ability for a research institution to acquire NIH funding; 90% of the ONPRCs funding is from the NIH.
• None of these outcomes have occurred.

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