Scientists at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center in Atlanta have done experiments to genetically modify monkeys to have Huntington’s disease.

Huntington’s disease is a fatal disease caused by an abnormal gene that leads to the wasting away of nerve cells in the brain. Death normally results in 10 to 15 years from the onset of symptoms.

This is a first in medical research - the genetic modification of a primate to develop a human disease.

Five baby monkeys were used. The Huntingdon’s gene was transferred into a monkey egg cell, and the resulting embryo was placed in the womb of a female monkey. The baby monkeys were born from this process.

Only two have survived. One of them has symptoms of the disease.

The ethics of medical research with animals are often questioned. It’s heart-rending to see a monkey specially bred to suffer this disease. The researchers hope that the study will lead to the development of new drugs for this condition.