Preface

This book provides an overview of current preclinical research in various animals ranging from non-human primates and mammals to zebrafish and flies. It includes numerous animal models of complex and devastating human diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy, left ventricular noncompaction cardiomyopathy, glaucoma, macular degeneration, acute kidney and cerebral injuries as well as Brucellar spondylodiscitis, which is difficult to diagnose in animals and humans. It reviews new diagnostic tools, pharmacological agents, and treatment devices in preclinical stages. The authors emphasize the importance of bidirectional research between human and preclinical models in improving the diagnosis of diseases and fine-tuning therapeutic interventions. Information on stem cell and viral therapies for tissue regeneration and repair will help researchers and medical personnel save millions of people and animals every year.

The modern design of translational animal modeling includes systems biological and omics approaches involving a large cohort of animal reference populations. Reviews on recombinant inbred populations of BXD strains and Drosophila melanogaster used for animal-to-human and human-to-animal translation provide intriguing information on how these animals are important for predictive and personalized medicine and biology and for clarifying gene-gene (epistasis), gene-age, gene-sex, gene-treatment, gene-environment, and organ–organ interactions that are relevant in the context of human pathologies including diabetes, obesity, neurodegenerative and cardiac diseases, gastrointestinal cancers, and aging. These animal resources are widely used for medical and biological research including open-web resources on omics (phenome, genome, transcriptome, epigenome, proteome, metabolome), hormones, and neuropeptides.

The book also highlights that the protection and welfare of animals utilized for experimental and scientific purposes are critical. Scientists have considered for decades the fundamental principles of the three "Rs": Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement. These principles include (1) avoiding or replacing the use of animals when other non-animal experimental approaches are available, (2) using the minimum number of animals for collecting essential scientific information, and (3) alleviating or minimizing any harm, pain, suffering, or distress, and improving the welfare and health of animals used in research. A chapter on the research of chronic pain describes rat and sheep models used for elucidating the mechanisms of pain and for advancing clinical outcomes in humans.

We are grateful to the authors for their expert contributions and hope this book will be a valuable and useful resource for scientists, researchers, and medical personnel, including medical educators and students.
