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Updated: Aug 19, 2026
Production of Genetically Engineered Golden Syrian Hamsters by Pronuclear Injection of the CRISPR/Cas9 Complex
Published on: January 9, 2018
Genetically-engineered hamster models: applications and perspective in dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis-related
George Liu1, Pingping Lai1, Jiabao Guo1
1Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Key Laboratory of Molecular Cardiovascular Sciences, Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China.
Insights
Genetically modified Syrian golden hamsters offer a promising model for studying atherosclerosis-related cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) due to their human-like metabolic features, advancing precision medicine research.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Research
- Cardiovascular Science
- Genetics
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease, particularly atherosclerosis driven by dyslipidemia, is a primary global health concern.
- Mouse models have been instrumental in ASCVD research but possess metabolic differences limiting translational accuracy.
- Precision medicine necessitates models with greater human biological similarity for effective ASCVD studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review existing genetically modified hamster models relevant to dyslipidemia.
- To explore the potential applications of these models in ASCVD research.
- To discuss future perspectives for gene-targeted hamster models in precision medicine.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of genetically modified hamster models.
- Analysis of metabolic characteristics relevant to human dyslipidemia.
- Evaluation of gene-editing technologies in model development.
Main Results:
- Syrian golden hamsters exhibit metabolic characteristics similar to humans.
- Genetic modification techniques have enabled the development of hamster models with dyslipidemia.
- These models show potential for improving understanding and treatment of ASCVD.
Conclusions:
- Genetically modified hamsters represent a valuable tool for ASCVD research, bridging the gap between mouse models and human physiology.
- These models are crucial for advancing precision medicine and translational research in cardiovascular diseases.
- Future research should focus on further developing and utilizing these advanced models for therapeutic discovery.
Abstract:
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in both developed and developing countries, in which atherosclerosis triggered by dyslipidemia is the major pathological basis. Over the past 40 years, small rodent animals, such as mice, have been widely used for understanding of human atherosclerosis-related cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) with the advantages of low cost and ease of maintenance and manipulation. However, based on the concept of precision medicine and high demand of translational research, the applications of mouse models for human ASCVD study would be limited due to the natural differences in metabolic features between mice and humans even though they are still the most powerful tools in this research field, indicating that other species with biological similarity to humans need to be considered for studying ASCVD in future. With the development and breakthrough of novel gene editing technology, Syrian golden hamster, a small rodent animal replicating the metabolic characteristics of humans, has been genetically modified, suggesting that gene-targeted hamster models will provide new insights into the precision medicine and translational research of ASCVD. The purpose of this review was to summarize the genetically-modified hamster models with dyslipidemia to date, and their potential applications and perspective for ASCVD.
