To cure the humans, first you get the monkeys sick. Finding the right animal as a research model for the new and deadly coronavirus is crucial for learning how to treat it. The ideal subject is a non-human primate that shows similar symptoms: coughing, sneezing, fever and chest congestion. The hunt is on in the US, tightly coordinated among a small coalition of labs authorized to raise monkeys for research. High hopes are riding on a troop of Texas baboons.

Covid-19 has infected at least 101,000 people and killed almost 3,500 since the world began keeping track in December, and academics, companies and governments are racing to arrest its rapid spread. Officials have said finding a therapy or vaccine could take months or years, and cost more than $1 billion. Animal experiments can discover how the virus functions and which treatments are most effective.

“It’s the only way to understand it," said Jean Patterson, a virologist at Texas BioMedical Research Institute, a private nonprofit in San Antonio devoted to eliminating infectious diseases. Study animals are scarce, so labs avoid duplicating efforts on the same species. The University of Wisconsin’s primate center is starting with marmosets. Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Montana is working with rhesus macaques.

Then there is the unique colony of baboons at Texas BioMedical. After eight generations of breeding, they number near 1,000, housed in zoo-like cages and a 6-acre indoor/outdoor habitat on the research campus. It’s outfitted with swings, tunnels, rock features and toys to keep the animals occupied. Baby baboons are raised by their mothers in separate harems. Twelve veterinarians and nine animal behaviour experts tend to them.

No animals leave the premises, but the center’s researchers regularly partner on projects with colleagues elsewhere. Its animals were used to test Ebola medicines now being deployed in Africa.“Any scientist from around the world can call us," said spokeswoman Lisa Cruz.

For researchers hunting a coronavirus cure, the first, most difficult challenge is to find a creature that gets sick like humans do when infected. Labs launched a similar urgent effort for the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak in 2003, inoculating rhesus macaques, marmosets and howler, green and squirrel monkeys. None got consistently sick enough with human-like symptoms, Patterson said.

Patterson first heard about the new virus spreading in China like anyone else—in December news reports. By mid-January, Texas BioMedical researchers were discussing how they could help.“It’s basically why we exist," said chief executive officer Larry Schlesinger.

As an independent non-profit, Texas BioMedical is a rarity in US research, which is dominated by university and government labs. It gets 80% of its annual $60 million budget from the federal National Institutes of Health.

Animal studies are an essential—but fraught—part of scientists’ campaign against human disease. Labs are frequently targeted by animal-rights activists and the work can take an emotional toll on everyone who works with the primates, Cruz said. There’s no guarantee an effective animal model will be found. The coronavirus could mutate, keeping scientists in catch-up mode. Or it could weaken and fade away before a model is perfected.But there will inevitably be another coronavirus, and researchers will have to respond again. If funding can be sustained, scientists could develop a more permanent solution, perhaps even a universal vaccine that could put the menace to rest.

“We need to finish the job," Schlesinger said.

Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.

Share Via

Click here to read the Mint ePapermint is now on Telegram. Join mint channel in your Telegram and stay updated