Primate genetic research approved

Experiments conducted by Chinese scientists to test brain development of monkeys carrying human gene copies have received ethical approval, and the scientific work complies with international animal welfare standards, according to a Chinese research institute.

The study involves 11 rhesus macaque monkeys carrying copies of the human MCPH1 gene introduced into the monkeys in the embryonic phase. Scientists believe the gene is crucial for human brain development and evolution.

The project began in 2010 and was led by researchers from the Kunming Institute of Zoology, under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who collaborated with researchers from the University of North Carolina.