Chapter 8 - Animal models: bridging cross-species variation through animal biotechnology

Abstract

Animal models have been employed for deciphering the physiological as well as pathological basis for the past many years. With the acceleration in the discovery of new therapeutic agents, from natural and synthetic sources, and the regulatory need to carry out the efficacy and safety studies in animals, they have gained pivotal importance in drug discovery and development process. The chapter reviews the role of animal models in understanding biological mechanisms and sheds light on the various biotechnological strategies that can be employed for generating effective animal models. The importance of animal models and their correlation with human biological factors have been summarized. The interventional strategies to develop animal models are then reviewed. A brief description of various biotechnological techniques including nuclease-based editing, somatic cell nuclear transfer, and other techniques follows. The physiological, pathological, and pharmacological considerations that help in developing and establishing an effective animal model have been provided afterwards. Toward the end of the chapter, the regulatory and ethical issues that may affect the acceptance of an animal model have been reviewed. The chapter, hence, reviews the biological and biotechnological aspects of animal models while correlating the examples of established models.