title: Reliability of rodent animal models in biomedical research.
abstract: Despite the discrepancies observed between the data generated from humans and animals, it is a usual practice that the results obtained from animal models are extrapolated on humans. This review stresses that while animal models are essential for the research and development, a critical caution needs to be practiced in interpreting the results. Uncritical reliance on the results of animal experimentation can be dangerously misleading and has resulted in damages to human health in several cases. This review also discusses the role of certain confounding factors in using animal models due to which appropriate precautions need to be taken while deciding to conduct a study using animal models and caution is warranted in extrapolating the data obtained from pre-clinical studies on humans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, The Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi 74800, Pakistan. dileep.rohra@aku.edu
authors.forename: Dileep Kumar
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Rohra
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jawaid
authors.lastname: Tauseef-ur-Rehman
authors.forename: Ali Hyder
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Zaidi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D035843:Biomedical Research; D006801:Humans; D023421:Models, Animal; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012377:Rodentia