Mouse Models of Immune Thrombocytopenia

There is an extensive body of literature related to animal models of various immune thrombocytopenic conditions. These include those related to the autoimmune bleeding disorder immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), the alloimmune disorder of pregnancy, and the fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT). It appears that many of these models either confirm what has been found in the human disorders or, in some instances, are the first to describe a phenomenon related to immune thrombocytopenia that is of relevance in human medicine. These clinically relevant models will undoubtedly play a significant role in understanding the pathogenesis of the human disorders and the development of novel therapeutics. This chapter will describe the various animal models of ITP and FNAIT and the basic methodology on how to create them.