The Use of Monkeys in Medicine and Research

A monkey is a simian that carries out many of the same functions as human beings, and its close genetic relationship with humans means that it has been used extensively in research into neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, reproduction and learning, understanding how vision works, and vaccine development. Monkeys are particularly useful in the testing of drugs because they have a similar physiology to human beings and can be studied under a variety of conditions including stress and anxiety.

Most monkeys have a long, often prehensile tail and are arboreal (live in trees), although some, such as baboons, live on the ground. They are mostly diurnal (active during the day) and move in bands as they search for fruit, birds’ eggs, insects and smaller animals. They also have a complex social structure; most species form monogamous pairs and show substantial paternal care of young. In addition, females have a menstrual cycle and some exhibit sex with unrelated males.

There is a continuing need to use monkeys, particularly in fundamental studies where nonhuman primates are the only animals with a physiology similar to that of humans; examples include some areas of neuroscience and the development of new medicines. In these fields, the vast majority of experiments using monkeys are toxicity tests to determine whether a drug is safe for human patients – a process that is essential if we are to benefit from the advances in medicine and technology that have come from the discovery of new drugs and treatments. The MRC believes that for some of these trials, there is no alternative to the use of monkeys.