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1. Home 2. News & Opinion Air France Announces End to Research Monkey Transport The shift is likely to add to an ongoing shortage of primates used in labs, which could slow progress in future COVID-19 vaccine development and other areas. A black and white headshot of Andrew Carstens Andy Carstens A black and white headshot of Andrew Carstens Andy Carstens Andy Carstens is an intern at The Scientist. He has a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a master's in science writing from Johns Hopkins University. View full profile. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Learn about our editorial policies. Jul 6, 2022 PDF VERSION ABOVE: (c) ISTOCK.COM, JetlinerImages Air France, the last major airline to transport monkeys used in research, announced last week that it will no longer do so, a move likely to exacerbate a pre-existing shortage of lab primates, Science reports. The airline made the announcement informally when it responded to a Twitter post on June 30. Air France has been transporting monkeys from the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius, according to Science, but tweeted in French that it will stop "as soon as its current contractual commitments with research organizations come to an end." Demand for research monkeys spiked in 2016 after the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded multiple grants to study HIV, Nature reports. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, sparking more demand and prompting China to ban their export; China had been supplying nearly 80 percent of monkeys used for research in the US until early 2020, according to Science. "In the accelerated effort to develop Covid-19 vaccines, monkeys played a critical role in ensuring the safety and efficacy of all the successful vaccines that are now in widespread use," says Kirk Leech, executive director of the European Animal Research Association (EARA), in a statement responding to Air France's decision. The statement describes the restricted access to monkeys as "a perfect storm" for the biomedical sector that will "severely" limit research progress in developing life-saving medicines. A news release from the nonprofit People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) celebrates the announcement and states that the organization will now shift its attention to Egyptair, which the organization claims has transported 5,000 monkeys to the US via New York since March of this year. "Ultimately the way to get around the problem is to breed [monkeys] locally" in countries that use them in biomedical research, Leech tells Science. Until then, he predicts that "this shortage is going to drive out innovation from the sector." Keywords: animal research animal testing community COVID-19 drug development macaque monkeys nutshell PETA SARS-CoV-2 transport vaccine design More Articles in community and drug development Arthur Riggs smiles for the camera Geneticist Arthur Riggs Dies at 82 Geneticist Arthur Riggs Dies at 82 Magnifying glass in front of a stack of files of papers PLOS ONE Pulls Five Papers Tied to Alzheimer's Drug Controversy PLOS ONE Pulls Five Papers Tied to Alzheimer's Drug Controversy Doctor holding stethoscope in front of European Union flag New EU Protocol Aims to Improve Clinical Trial Transparency New EU Protocol Aims to Improve Clinical Trial Transparency hundred dollar bills with stethoscope on top Most Medical Papers Didn't Disclose Industry Payments: Preprint Most Medical Papers Didn't Disclose Industry Payments: Preprint Stay Connected with E-Newsletter Sign-up Facebook Pages The Scientist Cancer and Genomic Science Cell and Microbial Science The NeuroScientist The Scientist Careers About & Contact Editorial Advisory Board Editorial Policies Privacy Policy Subscribe Advertise Now part of the LabX Media Group:Lab Manager Magazine|LabX|LabWrench (c) 1986-2022 The Scientist. All rights reserved.