{
  "id": 28419,
  "title": "Oregon primate research center to downsize monkey colony, pivot to non-animal models",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/07/27/oregon-primate-research-center-to-downsize-monkey-colony-pivot-to-non",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-07-27T21:53:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Transmitter",
    "slug": "the-transmitter",
    "url": "https://www.thetransmitter.org/nonhuman-primates/oregon-primate-research-center-to-downsize-monkey-colony-pivot-to-non-animal-models/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Oregon Health & Science University's primate research center plans to reduce the number of monkeys in its colony and shift its focus towards non-animal models, following a unanimous vote by the university's board of directors. The decision comes after months of pressure from politicians and advocacy groups, as well as negotiations with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to convert the facility into an animal sanctuary. Currently funded research projects and any work that would be funded by ongoing grant applications will continue until completion. However, the center's designation as a National Primate Research Center could be lost, potentially affecting training opportunities and the availability of monkeys for research. The university must also develop a strategy to become a leader in the development of non-animal models (NAMs) within the next several years. The exact size of the colony reduction and the impact on staff jobs remain uncertain. Critics argue that the decision ignores recent scientific consensus on the importance of non-animal research methods and the need for a stable domestic supply of nonhuman primates in U.S. biomedical research.",
  "summary": "The center’s host university had been negotiating with the federal government about converting the center into an animal sanctuary. A new plan, approved today, preserves some of the center’s nonhuman primate studies.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}