Are Non-Human Primates A Research Dead End?

The use of non-human primates (NHPs) as test subjects in biomedical research is being questioned due to increasing supply chain constraints, technological advancements, and the evident limitations of NHPs as human avatars. NHPs have long been considered the gold standard for approximating human physiology due to shared phenotypic and genotypic features. However, their phenotypic and genotypic differences can lead to inconsistent results, making a drug appear safe in NHPs but be lethal to humans. Additionally, the possibility of variability in the pool of research subjects exists due to some research NHPs being sourced from the wild, while others are lab-born. Technological and methodological advancements in tissue modeling, such as Organ-on-a-Chip technology, offer a more practical and cost-effective alternative. Organ-Chips replicate in vivo microenvironments and allow human cells to behave as they would in the body. The FDA recognizes the current challenges of NHP supply constraints and supports the use of alternative models, including Organ-Chips, in drug development. Organ-Chips have the potential to provide more precise data and improve the predictability of human response in drug development. It is time to move away from NHPs and adopt more reproducible and human-centric approaches.