FASEB Sign-On Letter to Congressional Appropriations Subcommittees Urges Support for Nonhuman Primate Research

By: Naomi Charalambakis
Monday, July 17, 2023
On July 10, a FASEB-initiated coalition sign-on letter was transmitted to the House and Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Appropriations Subcommittees urging increased federal support for nonhuman primate research (NHP) in fiscal year (FY) 2024 (House letter /Senate letter). The letter, signed by 49 organizations representing biomedical research professional societies, academic institutions, veterinary medicine groups, and pharmaceutical companies, emphasizes the conclusions included in a new National Academies report that underscores the value of NHP research in understanding fundamental biology and diseases that affect humans and animals alike. 

Given the current unstable research environment, the sign-on letter offers three recommendations:

1. Allocate dedicated infrastructure funding for NIH to expand domestic breeding centers.
2. Provide dedicated funding to support and expand the NHP research workforce.
3. Direct federal agencies to work together to establish a national plan for NHP research resources.