Animal and Translational Models of Neurological Disorders: An Industrial Perspective

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the animal and translational models of neurological disorders and presents an industrial perspective. Recent advances in biomedical technology, in genetics, translational science and in experimental medicine offer real promise that this situation is about to change. Such a change will ultimately offer real benefits for patients with serious neurological conditions that currently have few treatment options. There are very few true animal models of neurological disease – that is, ones that are identical in cause, pathology and symptomatology – although much time, effort and money has been spent by behavioral scientists trying to develop these. These limited animal models actually were quite successful in developing symptomatic therapies, for example, sodium channel blockers for epilepsy, dopamine D2 receptor agonists for Parkinson's Disease (PD) and cholinesterase inhibitors for Alzheimer's Dementia (AD). Animal models will continue to be very valuable for screening for the unwanted effects of potential neurological medicines. Both experimental medicine and translational science, if applied and executed appropriately, have the potential to make a real impact on neurological drug discovery. If the important advances in technology, genetics, translational science and experimental medicine are to be of value to patients, more work needs to be done to move them from confidence building tools to end-points acceptable to regulatory bodies. There is a need for companies to work together in a precompetitive manner with the regulatory agencies to establish a framework for accelerating the utility of these biomarkers. This need has been recognized in a number of ongoing or proposed precompetitive initiatives in the United States of America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Some of these initiatives are listed in the chapter.