Opinion: Ending animal testing could set back xenotransplantation just as the field is poised for a breakthrough

Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. seeks to end all federally funded animal testing after concluding that “the predictivity of animal models is very, very poor for human health outcomes.” In November 2025, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff were told that the agency would be required to phase out primate studies, and they are in the process of transferring their animals to a primate sanctuary. The National Institutes of Health, the largest funder of biological sciences in the U.S., has stopped issuing funding opportunities exclusively for animal models, sending a clear message that basic science conducted in animals small and large will no longer be a priority. Of the eight NIH-funded National Primate Research Centers in the U.S., one has been shuttered, and a second is exploring the possibility of converting to an animal sanctuary.Read the rest…