Of the large animal species used for biomedical research, swine is easily the most popular. There are hundreds of breeds available worldwide, some of which are classified as miniature swine and commonly known as minipigs. Swine reach sexual maturity early, breed year-round, and deliver as many as 10 to 12 piglets in a single litter. Swine are large enough and robust enough to tolerate complex experimental protocols over an extended period of time that require multiple interventions, repeated tissue or fluid sampling, and imaging using technologies standard to hospitals. There is broad availability of a range of established cell lines derived from a variety of swine tissues and the offering of swine-specific reagents is expanding. Preliminary data from the swine genome project confirms the phylogenetic status of swine as closer to humans than rodent species, lending further weight to the selection of swine as a model for biomedical research. Further, swine genomics and proteomics are more advanced than nearly every other large animal model. [1-3]
It is of course most important, when selecting a model for biomedical research, that the model closely approximate the human condition under study. In this case as well, swine has enormous advantages over small mammal or invertebrate model systems. Swine are very similar to humans in various aspects of their anatomy and physiology, diet and metabolism, and histopathology and pharmacokinetics. [1-3] Over the years, swine have been used to model so many different aspects of human physiology and pathology that it would be impossible to mention them all here. Thus, this summary should be taken as neither comprehensive nor definitive, rather as an overview of some of the more prominent fields in which swine serve as important models. We will cover swine as a model for cardiovascular disease, wound healing and melanoma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, and traumatic brain injury, stroke, and neurodegenerative disease.
References
1. Swindle, M.M. et al. (2011) Swine as models in biomedical research and toxicology testing. Vet. Pathol. [Epub ahead of print, Mar 25].
2. Aigner, B. et al. (2010) Transgenic pigs as models for translational biomedical research. J. Mol. Med. 88:653-664.
3. Lunney, J.K. (2007) Advances in swine biomedical model genomics. Int. J. Biol. Sci. 3:179-184.
It is of course most important, when selecting a model for biomedical research, that the model closely approximate the human condition under study. In this case as well, swine has enormous advantages over small mammal or invertebrate model systems. Swine are very similar to humans in various aspects of their anatomy and physiology, diet and metabolism, and histopathology and pharmacokinetics. [1-3] Over the years, swine have been used to model so many different aspects of human physiology and pathology that it would be impossible to mention them all here. Thus, this summary should be taken as neither comprehensive nor definitive, rather as an overview of some of the more prominent fields in which swine serve as important models. We will cover swine as a model for cardiovascular disease, wound healing and melanoma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, and traumatic brain injury, stroke, and neurodegenerative disease.
References
1. Swindle, M.M. et al. (2011) Swine as models in biomedical research and toxicology testing. Vet. Pathol. [Epub ahead of print, Mar 25].
2. Aigner, B. et al. (2010) Transgenic pigs as models for translational biomedical research. J. Mol. Med. 88:653-664.
3. Lunney, J.K. (2007) Advances in swine biomedical model genomics. Int. J. Biol. Sci. 3:179-184.
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