AI Insight
Researchers have developed a web-based calculator to help scientists design longitudinal studies using non-human primates by predicting sample sizes across study timepoints. The tool uses data on natural lifespan and healthspan trajectories from 11 primate species commonly used in biomedical research to estimate how many animals will remain available at each stage of a study, accounting for natural deaths and disease. The calculator is freely accessible online and aims to improve study planning while minimizing the number of animals needed for research.
Why it matters
This tool addresses a critical gap in research planning by helping investigators design more efficient primate studies that balance scientific rigor with ethical obligations to minimize animal use. Better study design can reduce costs, improve statistical validity, and support more humane research practices in biomedical studies that rely on non-human primate models.
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⚠️ Preprint – Noch nicht peer-reviewed
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Nonhuman primates (NHP) are crucial models of human health and disease and offer the opportunity to bridge the gap between basic research and the clinic. Given the ethical considerations, high costs, and logistical constraints associated with NHP studies, careful planning is essential to maximize scientific rigor while minimizing animal use. Statistical power calculations, to determine optimal sample size, require knowing the expected number of animals at each timepoint, a challenge for longitudinal studies that must account for natural deaths or disease during a study. Here, we leveraged data from a recent study detailing NHP life- and healthspans to develop a web-based NHP study design tool, available at midas.wakehealth.edu. For 11 NHP species relevant to biomedical research, users can provide study details to generate estimates of sample counts based on natural healthspan trajectories. We envision this tool being used by colony managers and investigators for both study design and monitoring colony health over the course of a study.
Source: The Non-Human Primate Sample Size Calculator: a design tool for longitudinal research projects