UC Davis planning to expand facilities...

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UC Davis planning to expand facilities for primate studies

 

By Edie Lau

Bee Science Writer

(Published May 3, 2000)

http://www.sacbee.com/news/news/local02_20000503.html

 

 

Rising demand for monkeys in studies of human disease, especially AIDS, is

spurring expansion at national primate centers across the country, including the

California Regional Primate Research Center in Davis.

 

Now with room for 3,800 monkeys, the center on the campus of the University of

California, Davis, plans to spend more than $1 million over five years to build

outdoor pens to accommodate a larger breeding colony, increasing overall

capacity to nearly 5,000 animals.

 

" There is just a continuing increase in the need for non-human primates in a

variety of research areas, " said Jeff Roberts, a veterinarian and assistant

director of the primate center.

 

In particular, growth in research on AIDS, asthma, gene therapy and behavioral

development is fueling demand for more primate subjects, said Roberts, noting,

" To meet the needs of investigations on the UC Davis campus and throughout

California, we need to increase the availability of animals bred domestically. "

 

In a public session, campus officials will be available today to discuss the

project, which is funded by the federal government. The public has several

opportunities to comment before the plan goes to the chancellor's office for

approval, probably at the end of summer.

 

California's is one of eight regional primate centers supported by the National

Institutes of Health. All are growing or intend to, either to accommodate more

non-human primates or more researchers; to upgrade laboratory facilities or

animal housing; or a combination of these.

 

The expansions are occurring even as animal-rights advocates wage high-profile

campaigns against animal experimentation. " The public is very sensitive to

primates being used for research, so it's incredibly surprising that any

research center would be increasing the use of primates, " said Alan Berger,

executive director of the Animal Protection Institute based in Sacramento.

 

Protesters of primate use have been especially aggressive. Last summer,

demonstrators on a " Primate Freedom Tour " picketed research centers across the

country. In October, someone sent razor blades and threats of violence to more

than 80 primate researchers from coast to coast, including 10 at UC Davis. The

FBI was called to investigate. The case remains open; no one has been arrested.

 

Kathy Kaplan, a public information officer for the NIH's National Center for

Research Resources, said the protests have not swayed the nation's research

agenda.

 

" Those people don't dictate the priorities of science, " Kaplan said. " Biomedical

research is a huge machine . . . (that) works in spite of certain activities. "

 

Rick Bogel, an organizer of the Primate Freedom Tour, said he isn't surprised by

the primate center expansions. Citing the prosperous economy, he said, " We're

rolling in dough; we don't know what to do with it. We're just expanding stuff

willy-nilly. "

 

A national campaign coordinator for In Defense of Animals in Mill Valley, Bogel

called the demand for monkeys in health research artificial. " People will

suffer, babies will die -- they always pull this stuff out, " he said. " Your

children or monkeys. It's fear-mongering. "

 

The use of primates in scientific research has risen 11 percent in the past

decade, totaling 57,377 animals in 1998. That's the greatest number of primates

used in a single year since 1987 when the census peaked at 61,392. The U.S.

Department of Agriculture began in 1973 to track the numbers of animals used in

research.

 

Jerry Robinson, director of the region primate research centers program for NIH,

said scientists have an immediate need for at least 1,000 more monkeys,

particularly rhesus macaques. New emphasis on developing a vaccine for AIDS, as

well as studies on diseases related to aging, organ transplantation and

infectious diseases are behind the demand, he said.

 

" There are NIH grantees who have funds but no monkeys to do the research, " he

said. " They're not getting the required numbers for their research efforts, and

that makes the experiments a little incomplete. "

 

Collectively, the eight regional primate research centers -- in California,

Oregon, Washington, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Massachusetts and Wisconsin --

keep more than 20,000 non-human primates.

 

The NIH, which is spending $80 million this year to operate the eight centers,

is making an extra $3 million available specifically to increase the supply of

rhesus macaques through captive breeding.

 

Rhesus macaques are the primate model of choice not because their physiology and

genetics match humans the best, but because they were in abundant supply when

the primate centers were established in the early 1960s. As a result, rhesus

monkeys are the best-studied of the primates.

 

The use of monkeys in AIDS research is a drain on the population because the

disease tends to kill the subjects swiftly.

 

" In testing vaccines, animals are inoculated, but then they're exposed to the

deadly virus, " Robinson said. If the shot doesn't work, " then the disease

progresses fairly rapidly. All these tests are necessary before they even think

about clinical trials (in people). "

 

While the California primate center has applied for some of the new federal

funds for breeding more monkeys, the expansion up for discussion is a separate

program to serve research projects in the state.

 

The center currently keeps about 2,200 animals outdoors in corrals and smaller

" corn crib " style pens. The proposed expansion involves building seven more

corrals and 24 more corn cribs, accommodating an extra 1,120 animals.

 

The center also has room for about 1,300 animals indoors. The indoor capacity

just increased by 30 percent under construction plans approved previously, said

Roberts, the assistant director.

 

Campus officials will answer questions about the primate center's proposed

expansion from 4 to 7 p.m. today in the lounge of the University Club on Old

Davis Road. Copies of a draft environmental report on the proposal are on file

at the UC Davis Shields Library reserve desk, the Yolo County Library Davis

branch and the Fairfield-Suisun Library in Fairfield.

 

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