German Primate Center

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Coordinates: 51 ° 33 ′ 41 ″  N , 9 ° 57 ′ 8 ″  E

Main entrance of the DPZ

The German Primate Center GmbH (DPZ), Leibniz Institute for Primate Research , was founded in 1977 as an independent research institute with a service character for German science in Göttingen . The center keeps around 1,300 monkeys (as of 2017), which are used for their own research and are also given to other animal experimental facilities.

The DPZ is a member of the Leibniz Association and is partly funded by the federal government and the federal states. In addition, around 40% of the approx. 15 million euro budget is raised by the company's scientists from research funding organizations.

Research fields

The tasks of the DPZ consist in the processing of basic biological and biomedical questions that require animal experiments on primates , for example in drug approval . This also includes studying and maintaining wild primate populations and improving animal husbandry.

The research fields of the center are divided into three sections:

  • Organismic primate biology
  • Neuroscience
  • Infection research

In 2016, researchers from the German Primate Center discovered three new species of monkeys in Madagascar .

Cooperations

The DPZ is closely involved in the research location Göttingen through a variety of collaborations. The department heads are also professors at the University of Göttingen or the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover . The DPZ is of national importance; there is a comparable institute in Europe in Rijswijk in the Netherlands. One of the partner institutions is the German Center for Cardiovascular Research .

In addition to their own stock, animals are imported from Asia and Africa. About 100 to 200 monkeys are registered for experiments .

Animal experiments on primates

Animal testing is controversial. If primates are used as laboratory animals, there are different ethical assessments. Animal rights activists accuse the center of the fact that the experiments carried out are associated with "severe pain, suffering and damage" for the animals, without having any direct medical benefit for humans. The research is therefore "pointless and cruel". Stefan Treue , head of the center, on the other hand, emphasizes that the DPZ is trying “to make animal experiments as less stressful as possible.” He also mentions successes above all in infection research and neurosciences.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.dpz.eu/de/ueber-uns/profil.html
  2. ↑ http://www.dpz.eu/de/ueber-uns/profil/zahlen-und-ffekten.html
  3. ↑ 40 years of the German Primate Center in Göttingen. In: idw-online.de. Informationsdienst Wissenschaft eV, August 10, 2017, accessed on March 20, 2018 .
  4. ↑ Three new species of monkeys discovered. In: Spiegel online. April 15, 2016.
  5. ↑ Wild monkeys from the jungle for animal experiments? In: tierversuche-verhaben.de. Understanding Animal Experiments, accessed March 16, 2018 .
  6. ↑ 40 years of the German Primate Center in Göttingen - no reason to celebrate for the animals. In: tierschutzbund.de. Deutscher Tierschutzbund eV, August 15, 2017, accessed on March 16, 2018 .
  7. ^ Reimar Paul: Primate Center in Göttingen: Research contra Quälerei , Taz , September 19, 2012
  8. ↑ a b Thomas Kopietz: On the anniversary: ​​Criticism of animal experiments - Primate Center Göttingen denied. In: hna.de. August 17, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2018 .
  9. ↑ Criticism of animal experiments. In: goettinger-tageblatt.de. September 12, 2012, accessed March 18, 2018 .