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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 9, 2026

The Nematode Caenorhabditis Elegans - A Versatile In Vivo Model to Study Host-microbe Interactions
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Published on: October 18, 2017

What makes a model organism?

Sabina Leonelli1, Rachel A Ankeny

  • 1Department of Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology, University of Exeter, Byrne House, St Germans Road, Exeter EX4 4PJ UK.

Endeavour
|July 16, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Model organisms are crucial in scientific research but have limitations. Understanding their "big science" characteristics helps allocate funding effectively for diverse or specific research needs.

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Area of Science:

  • Biological Research
  • Scientific Methodology
  • Research Funding

Background:

  • Model organisms are widely used in contemporary research.
  • Their role as biological models is significant but has inherent limitations.
  • Model organism biology operates as a form of
  • big science
  • with centralized infrastructures and a specific research vision.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the epistemic and social characteristics of model organism biology.
  • To provide a framework for assessing funding allocation for model organism research.
  • To clarify the specific attributes of research utilizing model organisms.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of the characteristics of model organism biology as
  • big science
  • .

Main Results:

  • Model organism research involves large infrastructures and a shared ethos, committing researchers to a specific vision.
  • Existing resources and knowledge from model organisms can be leveraged for studying diverse species.
  • Model organism approaches may be unsuitable for highly delimited research or processes not captured by these models.

Conclusions:

  • A framework is proposed to assess the appropriate allocation of resources for model organism research.
  • The study highlights the need to balance the exploitation of model organism resources with their limitations.
  • Researchers should consider the suitability of model organisms based on the specific research question and scope.