Pigs are increasingly being used as an alternative to animals like dogs and monkeys when it comes to surgical procedures and preclinical toxicology testing of pharmaceuticals.
That’s according to research published in the journal Veterinary Pathology.
“There are unique advantages to the use of swine in this setting given that they share with humans similar anatomic and physiologic characteristics involving the cardiovascular, urinary, integumentary, and digestive systems,” the authors write in the article “Swine as Models in Biomedical Research and Toxicology Testing.”
They continue:
“Ethical considerations, as well as the existence of significant amounts of background data, from a regulatory perspective, provide further support for the use of this species in experimental or pharmaceutical research studies. It is likely that pigs and minipigs will become an increasingly important animal model for research and pharmaceutical development applications.”
The report was authored by Michael M. Swindle of the Medical University of South Carolina, along with A. Makin of LAB Research in Demark, A.J. Herron of Center for Comparative Medicine and Department of Pathology & Immunology Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, F.J. Chubb, Jr. of Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinarian Medicine and K.S. Frazier of GlaxoSmithKline.
The study lists a number of different types of procedures where porcine tissues helped researchers:
- Intravascular stents
- Vascular aneurysms
- Prosthetic valves
- Cardiac transplants
- Ischemic heart disease
- Ventricular assist devices
- Digestive system models
In the past, we’ve written about similar studies that looked at how porcine tissue research can help in the development of various medical procedures. Earlier this year, we discussed new research that advanced the possibility of transplanting pig organs into human patients. A study published in Wound Medicine last year showed how porcine cells can help with wound healing. And porcine tissue has given researchers new insight into treating heart disease.
Animal Biotech is proud of the role it’s played in research like this. For close to three decades, we’ve offered support to the biomedical field by providing researchers with pig organs, glands and tissues. Contact us today to find out how we can help with your next project.
