State-of-the-Art Technology of Model Organisms for Current Human Medicine

Abstract

Since the 1980s, molecular biology has been used to investigate medical field mechanisms that still require the use of crude biological materials in order to achieve their necessary goals. Transcription factor-induced pluripotent stem cells are used in regenerative medicine to screen drugs and to support lost tissues. However, these cells insufficiently reconstruct whole organs and require various intact cells, such as damaged livers and diabetic pancreases. For efficient gene transfer in medical use, virally mediated gene transfers are used, although immunogenic issues are investigated. To obtain efficient detective and diagnostic power in intractable diseases, biological tools such as roundworms and zebrafish have been found to be useful for high-throughput screening (HST) and diagnosis. Taken together, this biological approach will help to fill the gaps between medical needs and novel innovations in the field of medicine.

A Great Catch for Investigating Inborn Errors of Metabolism—Insights Obtained from Zebrafish

“…The impact made on IEM by the zebrafish model is evident. Even more, the influence zebrafish studies had in the last decades in a great variety of diseases and their relevance for human treatment has been highlighted in numerous publications [ 159 , 192 , 193 , 194 , 195 , 196 , 197 ]. It is to be expected that the role of zebrafish will continue to grow for rare metabolic disorders, especially with the prospect of drug screening and the effectiveness of CRISPR/Cas9 editing.…”

Nematode-Applied Technology for Human Tumor Microenvironment Research and Development

“…Recently, animal models, including nematodes, are used for basic studies for medical applications, such as mechanism studies and drug discovery, as summarized in [32]. Here, we focused on another application to study the tumor microenvironment using C. elegans.…”

“…It is common knowledge that some animals have sensory abilities superior to those of humans, such as smelling, and animal use will fill the gap in achieving detection of phenomena via smelling [32]. In a study by Lo et al, memory tests of Canis familiaris, Rattus norvegicus, and Homo sapiens indicated that dogs were superior to rats and that dogs and rats were superior to humans [33].…”

“…Moreover, another study has indicated that canine olfaction can detect liquid samples from breast cancer and colorectal cancer cell cultures, although dogs could not discriminate the odor of metabolic wastes between breast and colorectal cancers [35], suggesting that such animals sense some odors that have not been characterized so far. Although dogs may be considered good candidates for scent test detectors, the cost for training and maintenance is relatively high, which inhibits repeats and requires several examinations a day to confirm its reproducibility, which humps a large-scale study [32].…”

A new detection method for canine and feline cancer using the olfactory system of nematodes

“…C. elegans shows avoidance of the urine of healthy individuals while displaying a chemotactic attraction toward the urine of patients with 15 types of cancer (stomach, colon-rectum, lung, breast, pancreas, liver, prostate, uterus, esophagus, gallbladder, bile duct, kidney, urinary bladder, ovary, oropharynx) rendering N-NOSE a primary multi-cancer screening test [ 20 , 24 , 25 , 30 , 31 ]. N-NOSE clinical studies with human patients from cancer stages 0 to Ⅳ have highlighted the good performance at early detection (stages 0-Ⅰ) without lymphatic metastasis, in addition to detecting advanced stages [ 20 , 24 , 25 , 30 , 31 ]. This test only requires ≥1 mL of urine, which is non-invasive, painless, and stress-free for the subject [ 20 , 28 ].…”