Animal Models for Cardiovascular Research

With advances in molecular and genomic research offering novel insights into cardiovascular diseases, many transgenic animal models have been recently developed and characterized. Currently, more than 90 percent of all laboratory animal experiments are conducted in mice and rats. Although there are many scientific advantages to using small animal models, it has been recently recognized that many exciting therapeutic targets identified in small animals are not validated in clinical trials in patients. Thus, suitable large animal models, particularly under conscious state with appropriate direct measurements of cardiovascular function, are needed to serve as a better translational bridge between preclinical and clinical studies. In this chapter, we primarily focus on surgically instrumented large animal models of common cardiovascular disease studied in the conscious state. In addition, several important physiological factors that influence the characteristics of the models, as well as the importance of proper data interpretation, will also be discussed.