Scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been told to phase out all of their monkey research, Science has learned. The directive, communicated to CDC staff by a former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employee and recent college graduate who is now a top official at the agency, will end studies on approximately 200 macaques. The fate of the animals—largely used in work on HIV prevention—is unclear; some may be transferred to primate sanctuaries, others may be euthanized.
Apart from the retirement of research chimpanzees initiated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) a decade ago, the move would mark the first time a U.S. agency has ended its in-house nonhuman primate program. “It’s unprecedented,” says Sally Thompson-Iritani, the assistant vice provost responsible for the University of Washington’s animal care program.
https://www.science.org/content/article/exclusive-cdc-end-all-monkey-research
The CDC is ending all monkey experiments. This is a historic move toward safer and more effective human-relevant science.
We are calling on the NIH and FDA to follow suit, and on the CDC to support sanctuary placement for the macaques currently at CDC facilities.… pic.twitter.com/caeyOJ5uYK
— Physicians Committee (@PCRM) November 21, 2025