Gene Editing in Rabbits: Unique Opportunities for Translational Biomedical Research

Jie Xu, Jifeng Zhang, Dongshan Yang, Jun Song, Brooke Pallas, Chen Zhang, Jiafen Hu, Xuwen Peng, Neil D. Christensen, Renzhi Han, Y. Eugene Chen

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

The rabbit is a classic animal model for biomedical research, but the production of gene targeted transgenic rabbits had been extremely challenging until the recent advent of gene editing tools. More than fifty gene knockout or knock-in rabbit models have been reported in the past decade. Gene edited (GE) rabbit models, compared to their counterpart mouse models, may offer unique opportunities in translational biomedical research attributed primarily to their relatively large size and long lifespan. More importantly, GE rabbit models have been found to mimic several disease pathologies better than their mouse counterparts particularly in fields focused on genetically inherited diseases, cardiovascular diseases, ocular diseases, and others. In this review we present selected examples of research areas where GE rabbit models are expected to make immediate contributions to the understanding of the pathophysiology of human disease, and support the development of novel therapeutics.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number642444
JournalFrontiers in Genetics
Volume12
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 28 2021

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Molecular Medicine
  • Genetics
  • Genetics(clinical)

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Gene Editing in Rabbits: Unique Opportunities for Translational Biomedical Research'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this