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

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,…