Columbia University Animal testing on non-human primates

in 2003, cnn reported post-doctoral veterinarian @ columbia university complained university s institutional animal care , use committee experiments being conducted on baboons e. sander connolly, assistant professor of neurosurgery. experiment involved left transorbital craniectomy expose left internal carotid artery occlude blood supply brain. clamp placed on blood vessel until stroke induced, after connolly test potential neuroprotective drug if effective, used treat humans suffering stroke.

connolly developed methodology make more consistent stroke infarcts in primates, improve detection of differences in stroke treatment groups, , provide important information not obtainable in rodent models. baboons kept alive after surgery observation 3 ten days in state of profound disability have been terrifying, according neurologist robert hoffman. connolly s published animal model states animals kept alive 3 days, , animals self-caring kept alive 10 days. people ethical treatment of animals has expressed strong opposition experiment , has written multiple letters nih , other federal agencies halt further mistreatment of baboons , other animals @ columbia.

an investigation u.s. department of agriculture found no indication experiments...violated federal guidelines. dean of research @ columbia s school of medicine said connolly had stopped experiments because of threats animal rights activists, still believed work humane , potentially valuable.