Mice are the foundation for numerous advances in medicine, including therapies for cancer, heart disease, hypertension, metabolic and hormonal disorders, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, glaucoma, skin pigmentation diseases, blindness, deafness, neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, birth defects, and psychiatric disorders including anxiety, depression and schizophrenia.

Rabbits are the reason our dogs and cats can live with us in our houses.  Louis Pasteur worked with rabbits to develop the first rabies vaccine which made it safe to bring pets into our homes.  Rabbits have a similar anatomy and physiology to humans, especially their cardiovascular system, and…

Rhesus macaque monkeys are an important animal model due to their anatomical and physiological similarities to humans. Many benefits to human health would not have been possible without these special animals, including the development of life-saving vaccines such as polio, smallpox, and rabies. Effective treatments for HIV/AIDS have been created because of research…

Cats contribute to research in neuroscience, ophthalmology, retrovirus research, inherited diseases, and immunodeficiency diseases. Cats are a valuable model for the study of Alzheimer’s disease because they uniquely replicate various integral parts of the pathology of the disease, in a way that’s similar to humans. Advances in veterinary as well…

Chinchillas share anatomical and physiological similarities of the inner and middle ears of humans which make the chinchilla an ideal animal model for understanding and treating auditory issues.