Harvard Medical School says it will start making changes at the primate research center that has come under national scrutiny following the death and injury of several monkeys in the past year and a half.

The school said it is following the recommendations of an independent panel of scientists who conducted a five-month review of the schools primate research center and this week released a two-page summary of their report.

The document recommends adding several new leadership positions and advises better oversight and more open communication between the school and the research center, which has played a key role in cancer, AIDS and other medical research.

Southboroughs New England Primate Research Center has come under scrutiny from the U. S. Department of Agriculture after several incidents that resulted in research monkey injuries and deaths.

The USDA investigation of the facility is ongoing, spokesman David Sacks said Wednesday, for the incidents of neglect over the last 18 months. The lab faces up to $10,000 in fines for each violation of the Animal Welfare Act, he said.

But an animal rights advocate who has been following the saga of the labs missteps said Wednesday the center isn't doing enough to rectify the situation and should be more transparent.

"It does not sound as though theyre taking the steps necessary to prevent additional deaths from happening in the future," said Michael Budkie, executive director of Stop Animal Exploitation Now!

The summary said the seven-member panel set out to find major themes and processes that could be improved, not to identify every risk identified in previous reports.

"I think they should give a tour of this facility to myself and news media to give us the opportunity to see whats going on inside this facility," Budkie said.

Harvard Medical School Wednesday did not release the full report "out of sensitivity to the privacy of our operations."

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Southborough primate lab to make changes