Institutional Compliance
WaNBRC and the UW support openness about the important role of NHPs in biomedical research. In alignment with House Bill 2904, we have consolidated the information addressed in HB2904 into one convenient place on our Office of Animal Welfare website with links to the relevant information.
(https://sites.uw.edu/oawrss/office-of-animal-welfare/institutional-compliance/)
Facts about the Center
The Center received its first operating grant award in 1961 and is one of the seven U.S. centers in the National Primate Research Center Program established by Congress in 1959 in order to provide specialized resources for nonhuman primate research studies that are applicable to human health.
The Center is an integral department of the University of Washington (UW), affiliated with the Schools of Medicine, Public Health, affiliated research centers and the University of Washington Medical Center.
The Center is headquartered in the Warren G. Magnuson Health Sciences Center on the UW campus in Seattle Washington.
The Center operates in core facilities that are supported by the NIH Office of the Director. Specifically, all NPRCs reside within the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI) in the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP).
The Center has a research staff of nationally and internationally prominent scientists led by our Core Staff scientists and over 400 affiliate scientists. These Core Scientists are also UW faculty members in the following departments:
- Anthropology
- Bioengineering
- Biological Structure
- Dentistry
- Electrical Engineering
- Global Health
- Immunology
- Laboratory Medicine
- Medical Genetics
- Microbiology
- Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Oncology
- Pathology
- Pharmaceutics
- Physiology & Biophysics
- Psychology
The Center conducts research that touches virtually every field of nonhuman primate biology and medicine with particular focus on the neurobiological sciences, AIDS-related research, reproductive and developmental sciences, genomics, immunogenetics, nonhuman primate models for human diseases, international outreach and conservation, and the psychological well-being needs of its colonies. The Center participates in biomedical research activities that supports the NIH initiative to accelerate the translation of basic discoveries into improved therapies and medical care.
The Center has achieved Continued Full Accreditation through AAALAC International as part of the Animal Program at the University of Washington.
Media Coverage FAQs
How are infant monkeys cared for at WaNBRC? Infant monkeys receive daily care from experienced animal-care personnel, and veterinarians who monitor and support their physical health, development, behavior, and social needs. Care has evolved as knowledge has grown about infant primates’ needs, including companionship, enrichment, agency, gentle handling, cooperative care, and closer attention to behavioral and social well-being.
How does the WaNBRC assess an infant’s well-being? Highly trained caregivers, behaviorists, and veterinarians evaluate the animal over time by monitoring behavior, appetite, activity, social interactions, and responses to familiar people.
Does the WaNBRC provide enrichment and socialization? Yes. Care plans include enrichment and opportunities for social interaction, reflecting the importance of companionship, activity, choice, and healthy early social development.
Who oversees infant care and research? The animal-care program is overseen by veterinarians, reviewed by an independent oversight committee, and inspected by federal regulators.
Are infants separated from their mothers? In some research studies, infants are raised by experienced caregivers rather than by their mothers. That includes work on vaccine safety and effectiveness in infant monkeys, which involves procedures that include vaccine administration and blood draws. It also includes research on infections passed from mother to baby, such as cytomegalovirus, for which there is still no approved vaccine. Depending on the study, they live in social groups where they interact regularly with other macaques, including surrogate mothers, and with the veterinary and care staff who look after them every day. Care includes feeding, close health monitoring, enrichment, opportunities for social interaction, and observation of how infants eat, play, interact with others, and respond to familiar caregivers.
How are infants handled during research procedures? Procedures are conducted with attention to the infant’s comfort and welfare. Our behavioral management professionals are global leaders in positive reinforcement techniques, discussed in this video, and we are invested in learning about and applying refinements.
Are there current infant studies at the WaNBRC? Protocols related to vaccine safety and efficacy and infectious-disease research have been approved, but no infant studies under those protocols are currently active on site.
Why was there research involving pregnancy and infant development? Various completed studies have examined how low-level exposure to toxins during pregnancy can affect a developing brain; effects that may not be visible at birth but may emerge later in learning, memory, attention, behavior, vision, or movement. Other studies on fetal development show how common viruses like influenza can impact the fetus even when there’s no sign of infection. These studies and others have informed everything from policies around food production to whether a doctor recommends seasonal vaccinations for pregnant women.
How does UW work to reduce the use of animals? UW follows the 3Rs: replacing animals with other methods whenever scientifically appropriate, reducing the number of animals used, and refining procedures and care to minimize stress and pain when studies with animals are necessary.
Is UW developing alternatives to animal research? Yes. And we have been for years. UW personnel participate in efforts to evaluate and advance new methods, including emerging technologies, artificial intelligence to analyze publicly available data, and other approaches that may eventually reduce or replace animal use for developmental and toxicology questions.
Senator Booker asks important questions about federal oversight of animal research, particularly non-human primates. The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) provides rigorous oversight of all animal research performed in the Unites States that is supported by taxpayers, including research at the Washington National Primate Research Center (WaNBRC).
The allegations against WaNBRC are historical and without merit. Additional information can be found here and here.
We are happy to meet with Senator Booker at any time and share information on the life-saving research we are conducting at our center and our unwavering commitment to non-human primate health, well-being and conservation.
Disappointed. Claims appearing in recent media reports are incomplete, meritless or misleading.
We acknowledge that we made an administrative error and are aware that we are required to contact the Washington Department of Agriculture. We missed this during an internal transfer of some of our animals from our Arizona facility to our Seattle facility. This oversight, although unfortunate, did not result in any negative outcomes as a result of the shipment, and this process has been corrected moving forward.
Valley Fever (VF) is a fungal disease found in arid regions of the world including the Southwestern United States. Similar to humans and pets, nonhuman primates can become exposed to VF and develop a positive antibody titer. In Arizona, as a preventative measure, all animals that test positive receive daily treatments. A very small percentage of these animals (<1%) develop clinical symptoms related to Valley Fever and are treated appropriately by our Veterinarians.
Nonhuman primates, like humans, are susceptible to a variety of diseases. We can assure you that if any of our animals ever become ill, we provide prompt and decisive intervention to ensure they return to good health as soon as is possible. All animals receive regular medical examinations, including the surveillance for Valley Fever, by qualified veterinarians and have detailed, well-characterized health records. Based on the health histories of animals, individual researchers determine if a particular animal is suitable for their research.
No. Animals bred at the Arizona breeding facility are screened by qualified veterinarians who work together with researchers to develop protocols and identify animals that best fulfill the needs of the study and the questions being addressed. Some study designs may need to incorporate exclusion criteria such as age, weight, genetics, prior treatments or health history. However, in most studies, these variables are included in the study design and then balanced between study groups to better model the diversity one finds in the human population. In contrast to mice that provide only limited insight into human disease, nonhuman primates have diverse anatomies, physiologies and immune systems that mirror the diversity we see in humans. This is one of the reasons they are considered the best model to study human infections and other diseases and to develop new therapeutics or vaccines. The heterogenous nonhuman primate species available at the Arizona breeding facility models the diverse human population and studies performed with these animals have had significant impact in understanding human disease and in developing new treatments and vaccines. See also – Letter to the Editor: Prior Infection with Coccidioidomycosis in Nonhuman Primates and Impact on Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Disease and Vaccine Immunogenicity | AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses
The water consumed by our animals in Arizona is pre-treated with low levels of chlorine and is clean, just as is the water that the people in this area drink. Our animals are neither exposed to, nor consume contaminated water. Perchlorates appear in water naturally, particularly in arid regions such as the southwestern U.S. and also can be found as a byproduct of hypochlorite solutions used for treating drinking water and nitrate salts used to produce fertilizers. The Arizona facility utilizes groundwater from an on-site well which is monitored for a number of factors, including perchlorates, on a quarterly basis to ensure that the water our animals receive is clean and safe. The well water testing has consistently shown that the water is safe for human and animal consumption. When levels of perchlorate reach those at which WaNBRC has set to trigger an internal action, that level is still well below levels deemed safe for consumption, and potable water is provided by the munitions manufacturer on the site.
Questions about the Video
At WaNBRC we have a dedicated behavioral management team that works closely with our veterinary and husbandry teams to provide the best possible care for our animals.
- Social housing is the DEFAULT housing condition for ALL animals.
- We maintain socialization rates of at least 80% or higher each month. This means that the majority of our non-exempted animals are socially housed each month.
- There are very important reasons why an animal may be singly housed for a period of time, which include:
- Experimental reasons which require an approved Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) exemption that includes scientific justification.
- Clinical reasons which requires an approved veterinary exemption.
- Rationale for all singly housed animals is reviewed every 30 days by the Attending Veterinarian, as required by federal law.
- Singly-housed animals receive extra enrichment in addition to standard daily enrichment.
The video posted on extremist websites pertaining to animals at the WaNBRC at the University of Washington were produced between 2012 and 2013. Between 2012 and 2017, four National Primate Research Centers (NPRCs) participated in a joint research project focused on improving captive primate well-being by collecting and assessing temperament data based on an animal’s response to novel stimuli.
Understanding temperament can lead to better individualized care and improved animal welfare. It can indicate how an animal might respond to research procedures, personnel, social interactions, positive reinforcement training, or novel enrichment.
- The temperament assessments were recorded on video so that they could be scored by the same individuals thereby reducing potential observer bias.
- During the assessment, an unfamiliar person stood in front of the animals’ home cage for several minutes to see how they responded.
- Animals that were socially housed were temporarily separated from their partners, allowing each animal to be evaluated individually.
- Social pairs were reunited the same day, once the data for that room was collected.
- Some animals were unfazed by the presence of the unfamiliar person while others changed their behavior.
- The variation in the responses gives us insight into each animal’s temperament.
The overarching goal of this research project and the philosophy of WaNBRC is to ensure a safe and enriching environment that supports the psychological well-being of the animal and the integrity of scientific data.