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Updated: Nov 20, 2025

A Double Humanized BLT-mice Model Featuring a Stable Human-Like Gut Microbiome and Human Immune System

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Naturalizing mouse models for immunology.

Andrea L Graham¹

¹Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA. algraham@princeton.edu.

Nature Immunology

|January 26, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Laboratory mice offer insights into mammalian immunity, but their immune systems differ from wild mammals. Naturalizing lab mice environments can improve research understanding and translational potential.

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Area of Science:

Immunology
Mammalian biology
Comparative immunology

Background:

Laboratory mice are crucial models for studying mammalian immune systems.
Immune phenotypes in lab mice often diverge from those in wild mammals due to differing environments.
Understanding these differences is key for accurate translational research.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore methods for naturalizing the environmental experience of laboratory mice.
To enhance the understanding of how natural selection shapes mammalian immune systems.
To improve the translational relevance of mouse models in immunological research.

Main Methods:

Implementing exposure histories for inbred lab mice.
Utilizing fecal transplants from wild mice.
Employing surrogate mothering with wild mice.
Applying rewilding techniques to lab mice environments.

Main Results:

Naturalizing lab mouse environments can bridge the gap between lab and wild mammal immune phenotypes.
These approaches complement genetic and phylogenetic studies.
Improved translational potential for mouse research is anticipated.

Conclusions:

Environmental naturalization of lab mice is a promising strategy.
This approach enhances our understanding of mammalian immune system evolution.
It holds significant potential for improving the applicability of mouse models in human health research.