Pigs: Large Animal Preclinical Cancer Models
Kirtan Joshi, Tejas Katam, Akshata Hegde, Jianlin Cheng, Randall S. Prather, Kristin M. Whitworth, Kevin D. Wells, Jeffrey N. Bryan, Timothy J. Hoffman, Bhanu P. Telugu, Jussuf T. Kaifi, Satyanarayana Rachagani
Abstract
Pigs are playing an increasingly vital role as translational biomedical models for studying human pathophysiology. The annotation of the pig genome was a huge step forward in translatability of pigs as a biomedical model for various human diseases. Similarities between humans and pigs in terms of anatomy, physiology, genetics, and immunology have allowed pigs to become a comprehensive preclinical model for human diseases. With a diverse range, from craniofacial and ophthalmology to reproduction, wound healing, musculoskeletal, and cancer, pigs have provided a seminal understanding of human pathophysiology. This review focuses on the current research using pigs as preclinical models for cancer research and highlights the strengths and opportunities for studying various human cancers.