Starting from the formulation of new cancer drugs to test dietary supplements, the mice play an important role in the new medical miracle. The reason why the medical world most often the rat as experimental material are:
1. Rats are small, easily stored and maintained and can adapt well to new environments.
2. These animals breed rapidly and short-lived (2-3 years) so that several generations of mice can be observed in a short time.
3. mice are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased in bulk from commercial manufacturers who breed rodents for research.
4. Generally, mice are obedient and easy to handle animal researchers, although there is some kind of difficult to handle.
5. Most medical laboratory mice are genetically almost identical, except for gender.
6. Another reason rats were used as a model of medical tests is their genetic, biological and behavioral characteristics very similar to humans, and many symptoms of the human condition can be replicated in rats. Over the last two decades, the biological characteristics of similarity between mice and humans getting stronger. Now, scientists can develop a 'transgenic mice' who carry similar genes cause human diseases.
7. Rats also make research efficient because of anatomy, physiology and genes are well understood by researchers.
Here are examples of human diseases where the mouse is used as the model:
Hypertension, diabetes, cataracts, obesity, seizures, respiratory problems, deafness, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, cancer, cystic fibrosis, HIV and AIDS, heart disease, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injury.
As well, rats are also used for anti-addiction drug testing of potentially ending drug addiction.
