LastyearCongressissuedamoralcalltoactionwhenitorderedtheNationalInstitutesofHealthtoreevaluateitsethicaloversight(伦理上的疏忽)ofgovernment-fundedprimate(灵长类)research.Althoughthescientificcommunitywidelyseesnonhumanprimatesasessentialforadvancesinbiomedicine(theyhavecausedmajorgainsinthefightsagainstAIDSandneurologicaldiseasessuchasParkinson’sforexample)researchersagreemorecanbedonetotreattheanimalsmorehumanelyandconductresearchlesswastefully.TothatendtheNIHgatheredfamousscientistslastSeptembertodiscussthefutureofprimate-basedresearch—andtheyagreedthatdatasharingisthewayforward.
ResearcherscouldreduceexperimentsonnonhumanprimatesbystudyingdatathathavealreadybeencollectedtoanswernewquestionssaysDavidO’ConnorapathologistattheUniversityofWisconsin–Madison.O’Connoriswalkingthewalk:hislaboratorystudiestheZikavirusinprimatesandheimmediatelypostsalltheresultsonline.ThegoalistofigureoutwaystofightZikaasquicklyaspossiblewithoutplacinganundueburdenonresearchprimates.TheSeattle-basedAllenInstituteforBrainSciencewhichusesrhesusmacaquessmallSouthAsianmonkeystostudythemolecularbasisofbraindevelopmentalsomakesallresultspublic.O’Connorsaysthispracticeshouldbemorewidespreadsothat“researcherswhoareusingthisscarcebutvitalresourcecanlearnasmuchaspossiblefromasfewanimalsasnecessary.”Stillheisskepticalthatdatasharingwillcatchonbecauseitwouldrequireachangein“normativebehavior”—science’sstrongcultureofsecrecyinwhichdataarekeptunderwrapsuntiltheyarepublishedinapeer-reviewedjournal. OnesteptowardfulltransparencyistofollowtheleadofhumanclinicaltrialssaysChristineGradyabioethicistattheNIH.U.S.lawrequiresmostclinicaltrialstoregisteronlineandmaketheirresultspublicevenifastudyfailsorisinconclusive.Thisensuresthatotherresearcherscanlearnfromatrialregardlessofitsresults—amovethatcouldalsosafeguardprimatesagainstbeingusedforthesamethingtwice.NancyHaigwooddirectoroftheOregonNationalPrimateResearchCenteralsosaysdatasharingis“thewayofthefuture.”Hercenterhosts4800primatestostudyavarietyofhumandi
