An animal model is a living, non-human animal used during the research and investigation of human disease, for the purpose of better understanding the disease without the added risk of harming an actual human being during the process. The animal chosen will usually meet a determined taxonomic equivalency to humans, so as to react to disease or its treatment in a way that resembles human physiology as needed. Many drugs, treatments and cures for human diseases have been developed with the use of animal models. Animal models representing specific taxonomic groups in the research and study of developmental processes are also referred to as model organisms. There are three main types of animal models Homologous, Isomorphic and predictive. Homologous animals have the same causes, symptoms and treatment options as would humans who have the same disease. Isomorphic animals share the same symptoms and treatments. This is the principle research tool. Predictive models are when the animals strictly display only the treatment characteristics of a disease. This method is commonly used when researchers do not know the cause of a disease. It is also useful in screening.
Read more about Animal Model: Taxonomic Human Equivalence, Disease Models, Behavioral Sciences, Genetics, Criticisms
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... Many animal models serving as test subjects in biomedical research, such as rats and mice, may be selectively sedentary, obese and glucose intolerant ... This may confound their use to model human metabolic processes and diseases as these can be affected by dietary energy intake and exercise ... Animal models of psychiatric illness give rise to other concerns ...
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6-hydroxydopamine toxicity in rodents may be a useful animal model for the syndrome, although this is not proven ... Another putative animal model for LNS has been proposed to arise from oxidative damage, caused by the hyperuricemia accompanying LNS ... Likewise, 6-hydroxydopamine (the putative animal model for Lesch-Nyhan's neuropathy) apparently acts as a neurotoxin by generation of active oxygen ...
... The non-human primate models of AIDS, using HIV-2, SHIV, and SIV in macaques, have been used as a complement to ongoing research efforts against the virus ... in macaques, because introduction of the virus can only be controlled in an animal model ... has resulted in measurable transient virus infection similar to the NHP model ...
... unaltered microorganism in an appropriate animal model ... into the microbe should restore virulence in the animal model ... Testing a candidate virulence gene requires a relevant animal model of the disease being examined and the ability to genetically manipulate the microorganism that causes the disease ...
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