Perspectives On Medical Research

Volume 5, 1995

Aping Science

A Critical Analysis of Research at the Yerkes
Regional Primate Research Center

Section Conclusions

While Yerkes public relations literature is replete with sentimental stories of miraculous cures, pictures of happy families, claims of breakthroughs derived from primate experiments, and promises of future medical discoveries, a close look reveals such posturing to be consistently either misleading or outright false. The Committee on Animal Models in Biomedical Research's analysis of official statements from the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center reveals that nonhuman primate research rarely, if ever, assists medical discovery. Conversely, direct observation of patients not only has helped human beings but has led to new knowledge about captive nonhuman primates, as in, for example, the reproductive biology of certain monkeys and apes.

The next section discusses the risks posed by primate research, and the following section suggests more promising research avenues for the billions of tax dollars annually invested in biomedical research in the United States.