An animal rights group this week complained to the USDA that baboons and pigs were mistreated in transplant experiments at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.
UAB denies the allegations.
In its federal complaint, People of the Ethical Treatment of Animals alleges Woolite laundry detergent was used to treat a baboon’s open wound and that subsequent fluid buildup led to the baboon being euthanized. The group alleges pigs were malnourished, expired drugs were used, and basic sanitation procedures were not followed in the lab.
“(Woolite) would be painful and cause distress and certainly that is not something that is typically used as an antiseptic,” said Dr. Alka Chandna, PETA’s vice president of laboratory investigations.
UAB spokesman Bob Shepard said that the allegations of mistreatment are false, but he acknowledged several issues at the lab were self-reported by UAB to the USDA and NIH in 2019. UAB acknowledged a detergent was used on a baboon’s wound, expired drugs were stored that may have been used on primates and drug logs were filled out inappropriately. UAB confirmed Tuesday that the detergent was Woolite.
“This was investigated and self-reported to the USDA , as well as National Institutes of Health Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare which confirmed we took appropriate corrective action to ensure proper procedures in the lab,” said Shepard.
That corrective action included retraining staff in pain management for laboratory animals and enhanced monitoring of the lab, according to a letter to the university from the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare obtained by al.com
The lab, run by Dr. David Cooper, performs xenotransplantation surgeries to test the viability of animal organs for human transplantation. In 2016, the laboratory received a $19.5 million, 5-year grant from United Therapeutics Corporation to test transplantation of pig organs for eventual use in humans.
“Virtually all medical knowledge and treatment – certainly every medical breakthrough of the last century, including for COVID-19 – has involved research with animals,” said Shepard.
“We respect the great contributions made by animals to science for the benefit of both humans and animals alike – not only at UAB, but around the world,” he added.
In its USDA complaint, PETA alleges that a UAB insider shared concerns about treatment of animals in the lab, including that animals in severe pain were not euthanized in a timely way, and that genetically modified pigs were starved so that they would not grow too large for experimentation.
The group alleges there were lapses in recordkeeping, exposed needles were left out, and PPE used in the animal facility was improperly worn and discarded in the office.
“Did these people not take seriously these very minimal regulations that are in place regarding how things should be done in laboratories?” asked Dr. Chandna.
PETA opposes xenotransplantation as a solution to a shortage of organ transplant supply and believes public policy should make opting into organ donation a default, Chandna said.
“It’s not a problem that requires all manner of tinkering with the integrity of animals’ bodies,” she said, “… where animals are subjected to invasive surgeries, left alive through these Frankenstein-style experiments and left to suffer miserably until they’re finally killed.”
UAB scientists believe they are close to making transplants between pigs and humans viable.
“The supply of human organs is insufficient to treat all the patients who present each year with organ failure and who could benefit if a compatible graft were available,” said Shepard, who added that pig cell transplants could also someday be used for blood transfusions or to help people with Parkinson’s disease.
According to UAB, safeguards are in place to ensure proper treatment of animals used in experimentation. Faculty and staff work closely with the institution’s oversight committee to uphold USDA and other professional standards.
“In a rare instance when corrective action is required, we take the necessary steps to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future, and we self-report to the appropriate agency or agencies,” said Shepard.