Animal models of chronic kidney disease

useful but not perfect

Becker, Gavin J.
Hewitson, Tim D.

Department of Nephrology, The Royal Melbourne Hospital and Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic, Australia

Correspondence and offprint requests to: Gavin J. Becker; E-mail: [email protected]

Received December 11, 2012

Accepted February 24, 2013

Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation 28(10):p 2432-2438, October 2013. | DOI: 10.1093/ndt/gft071

Animal models of chronic kidney disease (CKD) approximate the human condition and are keys to understanding its pathogenesis and to developing rational treatment strategies. The ethical use of animals requires a detailed understanding of the strengths and limitations of each species and the disease model, and the way in which findings can be translated from animals to humans. While not perfect, the careful use of animal experiments offers the opportunity to examine individual mechanisms in an accelerated time frame.