Review
Completion of the swine genome will simplify the production of swine as a large animal biomedical model
1 National Swine Resource and Research Center, University of Missouri, 920 E. Campus Dr, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
2 Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology, Department of Veterinary Sciences and Laboratory for Functional Genome Analysis, Feoder-Lynen-Strasse 250, Munich, 81377, Germany
3 Center for Development of Advanced Technology, Jichi Medical University, 3311-1 Yakushiji, Shimotsuke-shi, Tochigi-ken, 329-0498, Japan
4 Laboratory of Developmental Engineering, Meiji University, 1-1-1 Higashimita, Tama, Kawasaki, 214-8571, Japan
BMC Medical Genomics 2012, 5:55 doi:10.1186/1755-8794-5-55
Published: 15 November 2012Abstract
Background
Anatomic and physiological similarities to the human make swine an excellent large animal model for human health and disease.
Methods
Cloning from a modified somatic cell, which can be determined in cells prior to making the animal, is the only method available for the production of targeted modifications in swine.
Results
Since some strains of swine are similar in size to humans, technologies that have been developed for swine can be readily adapted to humans and vice versa. Here the importance of swine as a biomedical model, current technologies to produce genetically enhanced swine, current biomedical models, and how the completion of the swine genome will promote swine as a biomedical model are discussed.
Conclusions
The completion of the swine genome will enhance the continued use and development of swine as models of human health, syndromes and conditions.
