Humanized Mice for Infectious and Neurodegenerative disorders

Area of Science:

• * Biomedical Research
• * Immunology
• * Pharmacology

Background:

• * Humanized mice are critical research models for studying human diseases like infectious, degenerative, and cancer disorders.
• * These models recapitulate human hematopoiesis, immunity, and neurobiology, influencing disease pathobiology.
• * Immunodeficient mouse strains support long-lived human progenitor cell engraftment, enabling robust hematolymphoid reconstitution.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To review the utility of humanized mice in viral and pharmacologic research.
• * To emphasize current and future applications in studying viral and neurodegenerative diseases.
• * To highlight the importance of these models in planning human clinical trials.

Main Methods:

• * Utilizing immunodeficient mouse strains for human progenitor cell engraftment.
• * Incorporating innate and adaptive immunity for high levels of human hematolymphoid reconstitution.
• * Studying pathogen dose, comorbidities, disease progression, environment, and genetics in mice.

Main Results:

• * Humanized mice facilitate investigations into human pathobiology and disease processes.
• * They enable the evaluation of therapeutic efficacy across a spectrum of human disorders.
• * These models provide cost-effective, high-throughput studies for infection and degeneration research.

Conclusions:

• * Humanized mice are essential for understanding microbial susceptibility and disease progression.
• * They overcome limitations in human tissue access and large animal studies.
• * These models are crucial for testing transmission, eradication, and therapeutic strategies in diseases.