Action for Primates

Supplemental information for US tax payers fund attempt to develop a non-human primate model of autism, published 23 January 2023

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Lawrence A. Tabak, D.D.S., Ph.D. <lawrence.tabak@nih.gov>, Diana W. Bianchi, M.D. <diana.bianchi@nih.gov>, Joshua A. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D. <joshua.gordon@nih.gov>
John H. Morrison, Ph.D. <cnprc-info@ucdavis.edu>, Gary S. May <chancellor@ucdavis.edu>, IACUC UC Davis <iacuc-staff@ucdavis.edu>, NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare <olaw@od.nih.gov>, Karen Bales <ajpeditorialoffice@wiley.com>
Grants HD087048, MH020016, OD011107
Lawrence A. Tabak, D.D.S., Ph.D. Acting Director of the NIH Diana W. Bianchi, M.D. Director, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Joshua A. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D. Director, National Institute of Mental Health Dear Directors: I am writing to strongly object to research funded by your institutions (see grant numbers in Subject line), in which captive rhesus macaques are to become a 'model' for human autism (see reference below). Not only is such research immoral, it has no direct benefit to people and the resources used would be better applied to help people directly. I urge the NIH to live up to its public assurance that non-human primates are only used when necessary. Studying human autism is more responsibly and ethically done in human patients. Sincerely, Reference: Rhesus monkey sociality is stable across time and linked to variation in the initiation but not receipt of prosocial behavior (https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23442)

Relevant directors of the NIH and its branches, as well as others who are responsible for the research in this Take Action alert:

Lawrence A. Tabak, D.D.S., Ph.D., Acting Director of the NIH (lawrence.tabak@nih.gov)
Diana W. Bianchi, M.D., Director, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (diana.bianchi@nih.gov)
Joshua A. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D., Director, National Institute of Mental Health (joshua.gordon@nih.gov)
John H. Morrison, Ph.D., Director, California National Primate Research Center (cnprc-info@ucdavis.edu)
Gary S. May, Chancellor, University of California-Davis (chancellor@ucdavis.edu)
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, University of California-Davis (iacuc-staff@ucdavis.edu)
NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (olaw@od.nih.gov)
Karen Bales, Editor-in-Chief, who allowed this research to be published in American Journal of Primatology (ajpeditorialoffice@wiley.com)