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Abandon the mouse research ship? Not just yet!
Marcin F Osuchowski1, Daniel G Remick, James A Lederer
1*Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology in the AUVA Research Center, Vienna, Austria; †Boston University School of Medicine and ‡Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; §Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania; ∥Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; ¶Ehime University, Matsuyama, Japan; **Research and Education Institute, Hospital Sirio-Libanes, São Paulo, Brazil; ††Institute of Surgical Research, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary; ‡‡State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York; §§Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy; ∥∥Southern Medical University Guangzhou, Guangzhou, China; ¶¶Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; ***Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba, Japan; †††Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri; ‡‡‡University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky; §§§Ulm Medical University Clinic, Ulm, Germany; ∥∥∥Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Hospital São Paulo-Escola Paulista de Medicina, Federal University of São Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil; ¶¶¶University of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia;****The William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom; ††††University of Brussels, Erasme University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium; ‡‡‡‡The University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan; §§§§Burns Institute, First Hospital Affiliated to the Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China; ∥∥∥∥Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; ¶¶¶¶Division of Critical Care Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio; and *****University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
Mouse models are crucial for critical care medicine research, despite recent criticisms regarding translational relevance. A balanced view acknowledges their strengths and weaknesses for advancing patient treatment.
Area of Science:
- Critical care medicine
- Preclinical research
- Translational science
Background:
- Mouse models are widely used in critical care medicine for hypothesis-driven research.
- Recent studies question the translational validity of mouse models in trauma and sepsis.
- Gene expression profile mismatches between humans and mice have been reported.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address limitations in a PNAS report criticizing mouse models.
- To provide a balanced summary of the strengths and weaknesses of mouse models.
- To prevent the unjustified dismissal of essential animal research in critical care.
Main Methods:
- Critical analysis of a PNAS report on gene expression in mouse models.
- Review of existing literature on mouse models in critical care research.
- Discussion of clinical translation challenges from mouse to human.
Main Results:
- The conclusion that mouse models are unsuitable for trauma/inflammation research may be an overinterpretation.
- Gene expression differences exist but do not invalidate all uses of mouse models.
- Acknowledging limitations is crucial for responsible scientific advancement.
Conclusions:
- Mouse models remain valuable tools in critical care medicine research.
- Overinterpretation of data can jeopardize essential preclinical studies.
- A balanced perspective is needed to support animal research for improved patient outcomes.
