Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Meera Krishnan, Sahil Kumar, Luis Johnson Kangale, Eric Ghigo, Prasad Abnave
Summary: Adult stem cells possess self-renewal and differentiation abilities and are present in major organ systems of the body. They maintain tissue homeostasis and respond to injury or infection by modulating proliferation, differentiation, survival, and migration dynamics. Genetic and epigenetic factors tightly regulate the behavior of adult stem cells, with understanding these mechanisms being crucial for regenerative medicine.
Review
Neurosciences
Chuansen Wang, Xiaoqiang Wang, Changwu Tan, Yuchang Wang, Zhi Tang, Zhiping Zhang, Jingping Liu, Gelei Xiao
Summary: Hydrocephalus, characterized by ventricular dilation and abnormal intracranial pressure, is typically treated with cerebrospinal fluid shunting, which has high failure and complication rates. Nonsurgical treatments only provide symptom relief without addressing the underlying cause, driving the need for more effective therapies. This review focuses on the current progress of nonsurgical treatment in animal models of hydrocephalus to guide future research and clinical practices.
CNS NEUROSCIENCE & THERAPEUTICS
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Peng Yin, Shihua Li, Xiao-Jiang Li, Weili Yang
Summary: Animal models are crucial for studying the pathogenesis and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Rodents with genetic modifications are commonly used, but lack overt neurodegeneration. Recent studies showed that large animals targeted with CRISPR/Cas9 (pigs and monkeys) can produce pathological events resembling those in patients' brains.
Article
Neurosciences
Kevin R. Duffy, Mark F. Bear, Nimesh B. Patel, Vallabh E. Das, Lawrence Tychsen
Summary: Amblyopia is a common visual impairment that often occurs in early infancy. Deprivation amblyopia, the most difficult subtype to treat, is often excluded from human studies. Animal models provide a unique opportunity to develop innovative therapies for deprivation amblyopia.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Mattia Volta
Summary: The discovery of mutations in LRRK2 and GBA1 has provided evidence for the involvement of autophagy and lysosome pathways in Parkinson's disease. These mutations slow down the degradation of alpha-synuclein, leading to dysfunction in the neuropathology of the disease. The development of genetic rodent models holds promise for studying pathogenic processes and validating drugs.
Review
Clinical Neurology
Mattia Volta
Summary: The discovery of mutations in LRRK2 and GBA1 that are linked to Parkinson's disease provides further evidence of the involvement of autophagy and lysosomal pathways in the disease's pathology. The development of genetic rodent models for LRRK2 and GBA1 has the potential to enhance our understanding of lysosome alterations in Parkinson's disease and provide new insights. Further research is needed to exploit these rodent models in the fight against the disease.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Anton Gistera, Daniel F. J. Ketelhuth, Stephen G. Malin, Goran K. Hansson
Summary: This review summarizes the current understanding of vascular disease models, highlighting the complex interplay between cholesterol homeostasis, immune activation, and adaptations of the vascular system. It emphasizes the limitations of atherosclerosis models and suggests improvements for future research. Continued work in improved and new models is of great value for cardiovascular disease diagnostics and therapeutics.
CIRCULATION RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Neurosciences
Longhong Zhu, Shihua Li, Xiao-Jiang Li, Peng Yin
Summary: Researchers have created animal models to study ALS, a complex neurodegenerative disease. However, most genetically modified rodent models lack key pathological features. Recent studies using large animals like pigs and non-human primates have provided important insights into the disease.
TRANSLATIONAL NEURODEGENERATION
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Judy S. Y. Choi, Judy B. de Haan, Arpeeta Sharma
Summary: Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder with accelerated development of vascular complications, causing related morbidity and mortality. Current research on diabetes-driven vascular complications relies on animal models to study cellular and molecular pathways. Selecting appropriate animal models is crucial in identifying innovative and mechanism-based targeted therapies for diabetic complications.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael Haslam
Summary: Investigating whether orangutans have the capacity to make stone tools, to gain insights into the origin of this behavior.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shogo Ichii, Izumi Matsuoka, Fumiyoshi Okazaki, Yasuhito Shimada
Summary: Human life expectancy has increased, leading to a rising proportion of elderly individuals and the associated issue of skeletal muscle aging. Exercise therapy is currently the only treatment option for this condition. This review explores strategies for modeling skeletal muscle aging in cell cultures and rodents, and discusses the potential of zebrafish models for future research.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Yafei Zhai, Jinxin Miao, Ying Peng, Yaohe Wang, Jianzeng Dong, Xiaoyan Zhao
Summary: Danon disease is an X-linked multisystem disorder characterized by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, skeletal muscle weakness, and mental retardation. It is caused by LAMP2 gene mutation leading to deficiency of LAMP-2B isoform. Studies have shown that autophagy impairment due to LAMP-2 deficiency and mitochondrial dysfunction are involved in the pathology of Danon disease. Research using animal models and induced pluripotent stem cells has provided insights into the mechanism of Danon disease and potential therapeutic approaches. Gene therapies show promising results in improving partial phenotypes, with one clinical trial currently underway.
TRENDS IN CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Katherine Muksuris, David M. Scarisbrick, James J. Mahoney, Mariya V. Cherkasova
Summary: The main treatments for Parkinson's Disease (PD) have been limited to medication and deep brain stimulation, but new research is exploring noninvasive neuromodulation methods as potential treatments. Some promising methods include transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and focused ultrasound (FUS). This rapid review assesses the available animal literature on these noninvasive techniques and discusses the possible mechanisms behind their therapeutic effects.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Alexandre Corthay, Tibor Bakacs, Govindarajan Thangavelu, Colin C. Anderson
Summary: The major challenge in cancer treatment is dealing with disseminated dormant cancer cells and the balance with the immune system. Various competing models of how the immune system achieves self nonself discrimination are discussed, and it is suggested that a combination of mechanisms from each model may enhance the efficacy in tackling cancer cell dormancy.
SEMINARS IN CANCER BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biology
Ivaylo Borislavov Iotchev, Eniko Kubinyi
Summary: Sleep spindles are rhythmic events observed in non-REM sleep and play a crucial role in memory consolidation, sleep quality, mental health, and aging. Advancements in understanding their mechanisms have not diminished the importance of animal models which can still provide valuable insights, especially in researching cognitive aging and exploring the evolutionary history of sleep spindles. Emphasizing the cognitive aging aspect may shape future comparative studies on sleep spindles, and stricter validation criteria can help confirm shared features of sleep spindles across species.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2021)
