Palantir cofounder wants a 30,000 monkey farm in the US — because AI jacked up macaque prices by 700% in seven…
- Rapid drug discovery using AI's assistance is adding pressure to an already restricted macaque supply
- A US startup plans to breed 30,000 monkeys over two decades
- China's export ban cut off a major source of American research animals
Artificial intelligence is creating new demands for pharmaceutical research, increasing pressure on all kinds of resources needed to develop and test potential treatments - including animal test subjects.
Macaques, commonly used in medical experiments, have become considerably more expensive, with reported prices rising from approximately $3,000 in 2019 to more than $20,000 today.
Now , Palantir cofounder Joe Lonsdale is reportedly supporting Safer Human Medicine, a startup seeking to establish a large-scale breeding facility in the US.
Rising demand meets restricted monkey supplies
The proposed facility would eventually accommodate 30,000 monkeys, with the company planning to increase its breeding population gradually over approximately 20 years.
Its initial stock would comprise between 500...
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