Animal Models (general notes - intro slides)

Question 1

What are the benefits to the use of Rodents as animal models?

Answer 1

• Inbred lines are available (reduced genetic variation)
• Small, cheap, and fast reproduction
• Lots of available tools

Question 2

What is the most common strain of mouse used in in vitro animal models?

Answer 2

The C57 Black 6 mouse

Question 3

What are the caveats to the use of rodents as animal models?

Answer 3

• Licensing Restrictions
• Ethical Issues
• Aren’t humans, and-so their symptoms or reactions don’t necessarily translate.

Question 4

What are the alternatives to rodent models?

Answer 4

Fish, non-vertebrate models, Cell culture lines, Developed Organoids

Question 5

Benefits of Fish and Non-vertebrate models:

Answer 5

• Further related from humans (more ethically palatable)
• Fewer restrictions
  -Can use large group sizes

Question 6

Example of fish model of disease:

Answer 6

Zebrafish embryos -> translucent and-so can track spread of infection in real time (if fluorescently tagged).

Question 7

What are the caveats to the use of fish and non-vertebrates as animal models?

Answer 7

• More primitive immune systems
• Further related from humans and-so results not likely shared with humans

Question 8

Benefits of Cultured Cell Lines models:

Answer 8

• Can use human cells
• Often immortalised and-so upscalable

Question 9

Caveats of Cultured Cell Line models:

Answer 9

• HeLa is the main line of immortalised cells -> taken from Henrietta Lacks with no compensation
• Usually cancer cells and-so have genetic changes and alterations in surface protein expression
• Miss out symptoms of disease
• Behave quite differently to parental cell type / tissue,