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Animal-rights group assails study in which monkeys died Article published Saturday, February 3, 2007 Two squirrel monkeys died prematurely during an experimental
procedure at the former Medical University of Ohio in early 2005, a
group opposed to animal experimentation announced yesterday. In May, 2005, the U.S. Department of Agriculture found MUO - now the
University of Toledo health science campus - in violation of its own
experimental protocols in the monkey deaths. Matt Lockwood, a UT spokesman, said the university corrected any
problems after receiving the citation, and UT no longer has primates on
its campuses. In a statement released yesterday afternoon, UT said the monkeys
"were anesthetized throughout the duration of the experiment," and "at
no time did they experience any pain or suffering." "The protocol deviations were the result of the researcher's efforts
to minimize danger to the animals," the statement continued. University representatives declined to say how the actions would have
minimized danger. The Cincinnati-based Stop Animal Exploitation Now has asked UT to
provide it with all primate health records for the last two years, as a
result of the USDA report. "There was a lot going on where approved procedures were not being
followed," said Michael Budkie, executive director of the animal-rights
group. The USDA inspection report states that the monkeys were to have a
breathing tube inserted through the mouth and down the throat, but
instead the monkeys were given tracheotomies; that is, a hole was made
in their windpipes. In addition, the USDA report states that one of the monkeys received
no fluids during the 15 hours it was under anesthesia, contrary to the
research protocol. The report indicates both animals were to be euthanized at the end of
the procedure. The research was the work of neuroscientist John Wall, who studies
how the brain organizes itself after an injury to the peripheral nervous
system, that is, any nerves other than the spinal cord and brain. He has published some 40 scholarly papers on the subject. In 2005, the professor was working under a $198,000 grant from the
National Institutes of Health. The university will release no details of the study, what specific
questions the research was designed to answer, nor how the experiment
was conducted. Mr. Wall declined to comment. However, a summary of the grant published on a NIH database said the
work was designed to address how injuries, such as amputations and loss
of sensation, lead to rapid changes in the brain, revealing brain
connections that were not apparent before the injury. The summary concludes that such research could lead to new
rehabilitation methods. - JENNI LAIDMAN
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