Chimpanzees are genetically closer to humans than any other animal; therefore does this make them an obvious choice as a model to study human diseases?
Response: While it’s true that chimpanzees share approximately 98 percent of our DNA, that small difference accounts for some major differences in immunity and disease progression. For instance, chimpanzees largely failed as a model for HIV because the virus does not make chimpanzees sick as it does to humans who progress to AIDS.
