Experimental Models

Experimental models of disease are used to look into mechanisms that are assumed to be involved in real diseases, as well as to evaluate and choose medication candidates that alter these processes for clinical trials. They usually involve animals in which mechanisms that are thought to be sufficiently similar to those seen in human disease are produced or occur naturally. Animal models are useful to explore inflammatory processes and uncover the basic causes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Rodents, dogs, guinea pigs, monkeys, and sheep have all been used as COPD models, although the most appropriate model is very dependent on the study's goals. Because they allow for the examination of pathways including integrated whole-body responses in a suitable time range, animal models of COPD are useful for discovering putative mechanisms that govern the development and progression of COPD. The adoption of inbred strains eliminates genetic diversity concerns. Animals that effectively mimic the symptoms of human COPD are useful in the medication development process because they make it easier to evaluate new treatments.