The NPRCs do use mice and other rodents in center research, but their living systems can only tell so much. Researchers may use mice to address their first questions and then move to monkeys to further address the most promising outcomes from the rodent-based research studies. This continuum helps reduce the number of animals necessary for valid answers. It also accounts for the genetic closeness of nonhuman primates to humans to provide researchers with a comprehensive and comparable research model.

Back to top