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CDC Reportedly to Phase Out Monkey Research, Prompting Praise and Concern

10:39 PM, 11/28/2025
CDC Reportedly to Phase Out Monkey Research, Prompting Praise and Concern

The CDC is reportedly phasing out research that uses rhesus and pig‑tailed macaques at its Atlanta headquarters, ending studies involving nearly 200 animals. The move reflects a wider federal shift toward human‑relevant methods like organ‑on‑chip platforms and lab‑grown tissues. Animal welfare groups praised the decision as a landmark step, while some scientists warned it could disrupt HIV research that has relied on primate models. The agency has not yet clarified plans for the animals or for transitioning ongoing studies.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reported to be winding down research that uses rhesus and pig‑tailed macaques at its Atlanta campus, a move that would end studies involving nearly 200 animals. Details about the final disposition of the animals have not been clarified.

What’s changing

The reported decision aligns with a broader shift across federal research agencies toward human-relevant methods, including organ‑on‑chip platforms and lab‑grown human tissues. Proponents say these approaches offer better biological relevance to human health while reducing reliance on non‑human primates.

Reactions

Animal welfare groups welcomed the decision as a significant ethical and scientific milestone. Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Humane Economy, said the move recognizes the high cost of primate research, its limited predictivity for human outcomes, and the moral concerns of using cognitively complex animals.

Janine McCarthy, acting director of research policy at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine: "For the first time, a U.S. agency is choosing modern, human‑relevant science over a failed system of monkey experiments."

Advocates urged the CDC to reallocate funds to human‑relevant research and to ensure that the animals are placed in sanctuaries for the remainder of their lives.

Concerns from scientists

Some researchers cautioned that ending primate studies could disrupt ongoing work—particularly in areas like HIV where non‑human primate studies have contributed to development of prophylaxis and preventive treatments. Deborah Fuller of the Washington National Primate Research Center described the change as a major loss for parts of the HIV field and warned that fully equivalent alternatives are not yet available for every research question.

Public safety and oversight

The decision comes amid heightened public attention to primate research after a number of reported escapes from research facilities over the past two decades. Those incidents—more than a dozen in the U.S. during that period—have raised concerns about potential disease exposure for first responders and nearby communities.

Next steps

Key questions remain: how the CDC will reassign or redirect existing research projects, how funding will be repurposed to support human‑relevant methods, and what concrete plans will be made for the nearly 200 macaques now in the agency’s care. Stakeholders on both sides call for transparent transition plans that prioritize scientific rigor, public safety, and animal welfare.

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