Role of animal research in human malignancies

Abstract

Animal models are the central backbone in relation to providing the safety information of xenobiotics, the nature of chemicals present in the environment, and understanding the developmental process in disease pathogenesis of most of the health issues of humans and in drug development. This chapter describes the therapeutic importance of the animal models of human cancers. Rodents, particularly mice and rats, are the most widely used animals in the development of experimental models to benefit humans. Centuries ago, identification of the first chemical carcinogens and elucidation of carcinogenesis was carried out in rodents. Since then, investigations, mostly on mice, have revealed the multistep process of tumorigenesis, central to identification and understanding of the underlying mechanisms, genetic manipulation studies, identification of novel anticancer compounds, and development of noninvasive imaging technology for early diagnosis, etc., all convergent towards improving human health.