Heining, Peter and Ruysschaert, Tristan (2015) THE USE OF MINIPIG IN DRUG DISCOVERY AND DEVELOPMENT; Pros and cons of minipig selection and strategies to use as a preferred non-rodent species. Journal of Toxicologic Pathology, 44 (3). pp. 467-473. ISSN 0192-62331533-1601

Abstract

The pig has been introduced more than 20 years ago in drug development following attempts of finding a species which shares better homology with human than the dog based on bio-physiological parameters. However, miniaturization, standardized breeding and health status control were required before the pig could find a broader than niche application in pharmaceutical industry. During the years of experience with minipigs in pharmaceutical research and the science evolving rapidly, the selection of a non-rodent animal species for preclinical safety testing became primarily driven by pharmacological (target expression homologous function), pharmacokinetic and bio-physiological considerations. This offered a broad field of application for the minipig, besides the well-established use in dermal projects in all areas of drug development but also in novel approaches including genetically modified animals. In this article we look at recent approaches and requirements in the optimal selection of a non-rodent model in pharmaceutical development and critically ask how good of a choice the minipig offers for the scientist, how did the testing environment evolve and what are the key requirements for a broader use of the minipig compared to the other well established non-rodent species like dog or monkey

Item Type:	Article
Date Deposited:	26 Apr 2016 23:45
Last Modified:	26 Apr 2016 23:45
URI:	https://oak.novartis.com/id/eprint/26423