PORTLAND, Ore. (Feb. 9, 2026) — In Defense of Animals, representing over 250,000 supporters, applauds the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Board of Directors for voting unanimously in favor of Resolution No. 2026-02-01 at a special public meeting today. 

This landmark decision authorizes OHSU President Dr. Shereef Elnahal to enter into negotiations with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to transition the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) — one of only seven federally funded flagship primate centers in the U.S. — into a sanctuary.

The vote triggers an immediate 180-day negotiation period to secure federal support for the transition. Critically, OHSU will pause new primate breeding where feasible.

“This decision follows the shift in biomedical research away from outdated animal experiments toward human-centered medicine,” said Marilyn Kroplick, M.D., President of In Defense of Animals.

Courtney Scott, an Oregon-based campaigner for In Defense of Animals who attended the meeting welcomed the decision. 

“OHSU’s vote will begin the process with the NIH of potentially transitioning this infrastructure of suffering into a place fostering respect and peace,” said Scott. “I encourage Oregonians to embrace the new opportunities afforded by swelling public support for animal sanctuaries.”

“This vote is an encouraging one that supports better science, public health, and respect for animals,” said Fleur Dawes, Communications Director for In Defense of Animals. “We are deeply grateful to our supporters who have championed our work over the years to expose animal conditions at OHSU and encourage the NIH to support the transition from laboratory to sanctuary.”

The decision aligns with a growing scientific consensus that animal models are failing patients. The NIH admits that approximately 95% of new drugs that pass animal tests fail in human clinical trials. Modern tools like "organ-on-a-chip" technology are proving superior. A recent Moderna study found that organ-chip testing screened drug candidates in just 18 months for $325,000, compared to the 60 months and $5 million required for primate testing.

While the vote reflects the turning tide of science and federal political pressure to cut budgets, the cost to animals has been greatest of all.

Footage of monkeys in severe psychological distress was captured at ONPRC by In Defense of Animals in the early 2000s. 

In 2005, In Defense of Animals won a landmark lawsuit (In Defense of Animals v. OHSU) that forced the university to open its books, preventing it from using exorbitant fees to hide its activities from the public.

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CONTACT: Fleur Dawes, media@idausa.org, (415) 212-8653‬

IMAGES: https://bit.ly/OHSUvote

In Defense of Animals is an international animal rescue and protection organization with over 250,000 supporters and a history of defending animals, the environment, and their guardians through education and campaigns, as well as hands-on rescue facilities in India, South Korea, rural Mississippi and California since 1983. www.idausa.org/vivisection

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