Senators from diverse Dutch political parties have delayed a vote on the 2025 budget of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW), which included a gradual reduction in funding for primate research.  

The delay is due to their request for written questions, which are to be answered by 9 September. These questions would clarify the potential consequences of a controversial amendment that could phase out government funding for primate research at the Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC) by 2030.  

The move followed a joint letter, co-signed by various significant Dutch and European health and research organisations, an initiative co-led by EARA. The letter, sent to senators on Monday 7 July, urged them to either reject the budget if the amendment remains in place or to postpone the vote to allow proper consideration of its implications. 

Several major Dutch media outlets covered the story prior to the planned vote, including Het Financieele Dagblad and EenVandaag, bringing further public and political attention to the issue. 

The Party for the Animals (PvdD) and the Party for Freedom (PVV) proposed a phased reallocation of the OCW subsidy, increasing the portion spent on alternatives to animal research. By 2030, the entire subsidy would be allocated to alternatives, eliminating funds for primate research. Despite warnings from the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS), OCW, and a recent independent investigation, the motion passed Parliament with a narrow 76-74 vote on Thursday, 3 July.  

Under political pressure, the BPRC has already seen the reduction of primate experiments to a maximum of 150 per year. These experiments focus on life-threatening and disabling diseases like AIDS, tuberculosis, COVID-19, hepatitis, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Researchers from Canada have discovered that a protein long connected to Alzheimer’s disease helps lung cancer cells in mice spread to the brain.  

40% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer suffer brain metastases, which are brain tumours that occur primarily in other organs of the body, and there are few therapies available. 

The researchers from McMaster University, Cleveland Clinic and Case Comprehensive Cancer Center used the genome editing CRISPR technique to individually turn on thousands of genes in lung cancer cells from a patient. By injecting those cells into mice, the team discovered that cells with gene BACE1 activated were more likely to invade the brain.  

The researchers treated the BACE1 tumour-bearing mice with a drug called Verubecestat, which blocks the protein, and found that the brain metastases were fewer and smaller, and the mice lived longer.  

Verubecestat had previously been in advanced clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease, but the drug did not show sufficient benefits to outweigh the risks. However, it may now offer promise in slowing or preventing the dissemination of lung cancer to the brain.  

"The discovery of BACE1 opens the door to repurposing existing treatments like Verubecestat to potentially prevent or slow the spread of lung cancer to the brain, where treatment options are currently very limited," says Sheila Singh, senior author of the work published in the scientific journal Science Translational Medicine.