OHSU takes public stance against calls to close primate research center

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Oregon Health and Science University has publicly sounded off against the push for the institution to close its monkey research facility.

On Wednesday, the university published an announcement addressing animal advocates’ claims on why the Oregon National Primate Research Center should be shut down.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, better known as PETA, asked the National Institutes for Health’s Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare to investigate the OHSU center in mid-April. The organization’s letter to federal officials revealed a 4-year-old monkey died a “painful death” from sepsis last year after people at the Beaverton facility ignored her symptoms.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has also slammed the research center, referring to it as a “money-guzzling and cruel venture” the university could replace by further investing in patient care.

In response, OHSU said the claim “compares apples to oranges.” The institution noted the facility is mostly funded by federal grants that only cover specific research efforts, which improve patient care by identifying new ways to treat diseases.

The university also pushed back on animal advocates’ argument that the research is cruel and unnecessary.

“While scientific advancements have introduced alternative non-animal models, this technology cannot fully replicate the complexity of a living system at this time,” OHSU said. “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.”

The institution noted that animal research is heavily regulated by federal authorities. OHSU also claimed its primates grow up with their social groups and form bonds with researchers in the facility.

Many of the university’s points were shared in the rally that researchers held on the west campus last month, after Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek urged leaders to close the primate facility.