Ethics of Animal Research
Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel, PETA’s senior science advisor for primate experimentation, was a primatologist for three decades before she switched to animal rights activism. A former Fulbright Scholar, senior scientist and professor within the Department of Anthropology at the University of Washington, Jones-Engel said that she had a moment of clarity after studying primates, specifically the Rhesus Macaque, for many years.
“Anyone who sees what it really is and really knows what it is for the monkey, you don’t come out of that experience the same person,” Jones-Engel said. “You simply can’t, because you look into the eyes of a monkey in a cage, you have a reflection of self. You also have, if you were looking, the understanding that a person is a prisoner in there.”
Upon finding out that UMass takes part in animal research practices, freshman environmental science major Bridget Williams said that regardless of the research that’s being done, it’s unacceptable to be doing research on animals.
“I don’t think the way to go about finding those solutions is to be testing and doing these procedures on the monkeys,” she said. “They’re living things too, and they shouldn’t be harmed like that, especially if they were just born and raised to have procedures done on them.”
However, alum Jones agrees that testing within research is necessary and said that if the choice were to test on animals or humans, he believes that humans should be prioritized.
“Testing has to be done regardless, and I don’t think it matters what creature is used, whether that’s a human or any other type of animal,” he said. “It should just be about whatever is safe for everyone.”
The solution PETA proposes is for Lacreuse to stop her research and rehabilitate the marmosets so “they can live out the remainder of their lives in peace” according to a PETA article written by Keith Brown. Chandna said Lacreuse could continue her research using alternative non-animal methods, such as humans who experience menopause or organ-on-a-chip, which are systems containing engineered or natural miniature tissues grown inside microfluidic chips.
Becker also said that technology should be more advanced to run clinical trials without using animals and that some breast cancer patients might be interested in testing Lacreuse’s estrogen compound.
“There is a serious gap in our health system in this country, but I don’t think that using humans is an issue at all,” Becker said. “Our government needs to revamp the whole system, of course, but people who are suffering financially and health-wise would be glad [and] open to trying it … and honestly, these people who choose to do the research are not being forced. They’re not being pressured, and many of them are desperate.”
However, researchers at UMass said it’s not that simple.
“Right now, people can take human embryonic stem cells and grow little brain organites from those pseudo-cells that have some features that look a little bit like a brain, and these are the size of the tip of your finger,” Remage-Healey said. “It’s not the same thing as how the human brain develops, or even how a nonhuman primate brain develops.”
On the other hand, Lacreuse said that practically, there are too many uncontrollable elements in human testing and it would not be humane to test the compound on women before she knows how it affects the brain.
At the end of Lacreuse’s studies, and as the marmosets reach the end of their lifespan, they are euthanized at UMass by veterinarians and Lacreuse continues analyzing their brain tissue.
“We’re really attached to these animals,” Lacreuse said. “But my duty as a researcher is to be able to provide all the information we can from these animals, and that includes analysis of brain tissue and some of this information we cannot get any other way.”
To ensure that any procedures conducted at UMass are ethical, valid and humane, the International Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) oversees all animal research labs as an external body.
However, to WMARA and PETA, the ethical checks in place are not enough, even if the science conducted is deemed relevant by national bodies like IACUC, USDA and NIH and follows the Principles for the Ethical Treatment of Nonhuman Primates from the American Society of Primatologists.
Dr Mélise Edwards, a former graduate student researcher in the Lacreuse Lab, said that she encourages the questioning of scientific methods and animal research practices. At the same time, she is disappointed with the way that PETA conducts its advocacy.
“A willingness to engage in deeper conversation could have been an approach that established a connection between researchers who care about animals and people in the community who care about animals,” Edwards said. “Instead, PETA seems to resort to clickbait articles to instill rage in the public — a great model for generating donations by feeding off of the reactivity of a largely ignorant base that isn’t aware of what animal research is.”
As we spoke with the monkeys’ caretaker, we could hear Lacreuse in the back speaking softly to the monkeys in French. They almost responded immediately back to her — even the most timid ones noticeably relaxed when she approached them.
Lacreuse brought out the transport box that the marmosets’ testing is conducted in to attach to one of the cages. As soon as she fastened it on and slid the door open, both marmosets quickly jumped in to get a closer look at us.
One stayed in the box for a while and his long, fluffy tail half hung out. Lacreuse stuck her finger in the cage to beckon him closer, to which he nuzzled his furry white cheek against her hand.
“If I didn’t treat them well,” Lacreuse said, “they wouldn’t act this way around me.”
Bella Ishanyan can be reached at [email protected]. Kavya Sarathy can be reached at [email protected].
Correction: The article has been edited to reflect that Dr. Paul Katz made a statement to 22 News at a protest on 9/13/2021, not to cameras operated by PETA.