FASEB Takes Action to Support National Primate Research Centers

By: Galen Cobb
Thursday, February 12, 2026
FASEB has released a Statement of Support for the National Primate Research Centers (NPRCs) and submitted letters to select Congressional offices amidst recent changes in federal support for NPRCs. 

On December 20, twenty congressional offices submitted a letter addressed to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jayanta “Jay” Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, asking that NIH explicitly prioritize non-animal methods in their grant-making and end funding for the NPRCs over the next three to five years. FASEB has responded to this with a letter to signatories representing districts in states with NPRCs, including Georgia, Texas, and California. FASEB’s letter underscored the limited but critical role that non-human primates currently play in biomedical research and outlined the harm that would result from reduced federal support for these important national shared resource institutions. 

In parallel with the Congressional letter to the NIH, on February 3, the Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) Board of Directors announced a public meeting to discuss a resolution on engaging in talks with the NIH regarding a potential transition of the Oregon NPRC into a sanctuary. This development followed sustained pressure by the Oregon state legislature and state-level advocacy campaigns from national animal rights organizations, including the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. At the February 9 meeting, the OHSU Board of Directors voted to approve the resolution.