People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is pressing the University of Washington to close its primate center after releasing video of tests on infant macaques, reviving debate over animal research.
PETA published the footage Oct. 12 after obtaining it through a public-records request. It says infants were separated from their mothers and that some underwent neurological tests when they were two days old. FOX 13 Seattle reported seeing infants with shaved heads and attached electrodes in the video.
The Guardian identified the filmed work as a university study of domoic acid. Produced by marine algae, the toxin can enter the food supply through contaminated shellfish and fish. A National Institutes of Health (NIH) record lists the project's end date as May 31, 2020.
The researchers sought to determine whether exposure before birth could affect development. The NIH project description connects that question to possible fetal risks for people who consume substantial amounts of shellfish.
In a 2019 paper, the university researchers described assigning 32 adult female macaques to a control group of 10 and two exposure groups of 11 each. The exposure groups received different daily oral doses before breeding and during pregnancy.
The researchers found no effect on the infants' early survival reflexes. On more demanding recognition tests at one to two months, infants in the higher-dose group showed no preference for unfamiliar images. The authors interpreted that result as a subtle impairment in recognition memory.
PETA Chief Science Advisor on Primate Issues Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel has called for the center to close. University of Washington Assistant Vice Provost for Animal Care Sally Thompson-Iritani told FOX 13 Seattle that the footage was difficult to watch. She said the research aimed to detect effects of prenatal exposure that might emerge later in development.
The center, now called the Washington National Biomedical Research Center, told The Guardian it had no infant studies underway at the time of its report, although protocols for such studies remained active.
