Humanized mouse

A humanized mouse is a <a href="/facts/Genetically_modified_mouse/cGycqMQ2">genetically modified mouse</a> that has functioning human genes, cells, tissues and/or organs. Humanized mice are commonly used as small <a href="/facts/Animal_models/vNv6q4yb">animal models</a> in biological and medical research for human therapeutics.
A humanized mouse or a humanized mouse model is one that has been <a href="/facts/Xenotransplantation/tbKt8gB5">xenotransplanted</a> with human cells and/or engineered to express human gene products, so as to be utilized for gaining relevant insights in the <a href="/facts/In_vivo/kWcWyl6f">in vivo</a> context for understanding of human-specific physiology and pathologies. Several human biological processes have been explored using animal models like <a href="/facts/Rodent/mT4m8QJq">rodents</a> and <a href="/facts/Animal_testing_on_non-human_primates/661Pm8y1">non-human primates</a>. In particular, small animals such as mice are advantageous in such studies owing to their small size, brief reproductive cycle, easy handling and due to the genomic and physiological similarities with humans; moreover, these animals can also be genetically modified easily. Nevertheless, there are several incongruencies of these animal systems with those of humans, especially with regard to the components of the <a href="/facts/Immune_system/HRCTf1pb">immune system</a>. To overcome these limitations and to realize the full potential of animal models to enable researchers to get a clear picture of the nature and pathogenesis of immune responses mounted against human-specific pathogens, humanized mouse models have been developed. Such mouse models have also become an integral aspect of <a href="/facts/Preclinical/WSI14rnq">preclinical</a> biomedical research.

Humanized mouse open-in-new

Humanized mouse