Abstract:

Mouse and non-human primate models of neurodegenerative disease: The prevalence of age-related neurodegenerative diseases continues to increase with ever increasing aging population over the age of 60. Although the difficulties associated with neurodegenerative diseases present an urgent global issue, there is no effective treatment for these conditions. To develop therapeutic methods and therapeutic agents for neurodegenerative diseases, model animals that simulate the human disease pathology are eagerly anticipated.There have been significant advancement in embryonic stem cell and genetic engineering in mice, and various transgenic models of neurodegenerative diseases provided great contribution to our understanding of basic disease mechanisms and the development of potential therapeutic molecules for neurodegenerative diseases. However, differences between humans and rodents in the structure and physiological functions of the brain have resulted in difficulty in reproducing the selective vulnerability of specific neurons or circuits in mouse and rat models . Non-human primates, on the other hand, more closely share genetic, physiological, and morphological similarities with humans and can provide a better test system for drug and biomarker discovery for various psychological disorders and neurological diseases. Despite their value, non-human primates are not widely used due to limited availability of the animals, requiring a large breeding space, specialized breeders and veterans, which increases the cost of the study, not to mention the ethical issues.