Genetic engineering in nonhuman primates for human disease modeling

Area of Science:

• Comparative medicine
• Genetics
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Nonhuman primates (NHPs) are vital experimental models in human health research owing to their physiological and anatomical resemblance to humans.
• Traditional methods for generating NHP disease models include drug-inducible and surgical approaches.
• Advances in genetic and developmental engineering have expanded options for creating genetically modified NHP models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the established methods for generating conventional nonhuman primate disease models.
• To discuss emerging genome-editing technologies for NHP model creation.
• To address challenges, specifically mosaicism, associated with genome-editing in NHP models.

Main Methods:

• Review of literature on conventional NHP disease model generation.
• Analysis of recent advancements in genetic engineering and genome-editing technologies in NHPs.
• Discussion of strategies to overcome mosaicism in genome-edited NHP models.

Main Results:

• NHP models are indispensable for preclinical safety and efficacy assessments of novel therapeutics.
• Genome-editing technologies represent a significant leap forward, ushering in a new era for NHP disease model generation.
• Mosaicism remains a key challenge in genome-editing applications for NHP models, necessitating innovative solutions.

Conclusions:

• The review highlights the evolution of NHP disease models from conventional methods to advanced genome-editing techniques.
• Genome editing offers unprecedented potential for creating precise NHP models for biomedical research.
• Addressing mosaicism is critical for the successful application of genome editing in generating reliable NHP disease models.