Ohio Senate candidate JD Vance may face some reputation issues with the voters ahead of the midterm elections after his connection to a preclinical contract research organization that reportedly tests medication and vaccines on animals.
Vance is a former Marine who wrote the best-selling book Hillbilly Elegy. The story was about his upbringing in Kentucky and Ohio. According to the Spectrum News/Siena College Poll, He and Democrat Tim Ryan are currently tied in the polls.
Vance is a graduate of Ohio State University and Yale Law School, He went on to found the venture capitalist firm Narya.
On Oct. 25, Rolling Stone Magazine released an article that detailed Vance’s connection to AmplifyBio through his personal stockholdings and through Narya. According to the outlet, the biotech start-up “has been lauded in the local press as part of Ohio’s transition from rust-belt decay to high-tech rebirth” by “testing experimental drugs developed by other companies” on dogs, monkeys, and other animals.
“The research conducted at AmplifyBio also calls into question if Vance’s far-right religious values end where his profit motive begins,” reports Rolling Stone. “AmplifyBio tests cell therapies and other drugs that are likely derived from stem cell lines, including those recovered from aborted fetuses or live embryos. Such stem cell research drives vital innovation in modern health care, but it is anathema to those on the religious right who contend that life begins at conception.”
When contacted by the outlet the company denied using stem cells.
On July 27, 2022, the United States Department of Agriculture cited the company for failing to protect a monkey from injury. The animal apparently died after escaping its cage and becoming stuck. The USDA noted its inspection found 120 adult dogs, 21 rabbits, 163 cynomolgus monkeys, and 5 rhesus macaques.
Vance, a convert to Catholicism, has taken a partial leave of absence from Narya while campaigning for the Senate. During his run for office, his firm’s connection to other companies has garnered media attention, such as the high-tech indoor farming company that is being sued has also gained some public attention.
Five lawsuits filed against AppHarvest accused the Kentucky-based company of misrepresenting hiring and retention numbers and misleading investors. AppHarvest has called the lawsuits baseless.
Vance is not named in any of the lawsuits, which were all filed after he left the company’s board in April of 2021, per Fox News.
Vance’s campaign has not responded to Rolling Stone’s report.
