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Exploring the alternative: Fish, flies and worms as preclinical models for ALS

Tijdschriftbijdrage - Tijdschriftartikel

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an incurable neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of upper and lower motor neurons. In general, patients succumb to respiratory insufficiency due to respiratory muscle weakness. Despite many promising therapeutic strategies primarily identified in rodent models, patient trials remain rather unsuccessful. There is a clear need for alternative approaches, which could provide directions towards the justified use of rodents and which increase the likelihood to identify new promising clinical candidates. In the last decades, the use of fast genetic approaches and the development of high-throughput screening platforms in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, in the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and in zebrafish (Danio rerio) have contributed to new insights into ALS pathomechanisms, disease modifiers and therapeutic targets. In this mini-review, we provide an overview of these alternative small animal studies, modeling the most common ALS genes and discuss the most recent preclinical discoveries. We conclude that small animal models will not replace rodent models, yet they clearly represent an important asset for preclinical studies.
Tijdschrift: Neuroscience Letters
ISSN: 0304-3940
Volume: 759
Jaar van publicatie:2021
BOF-keylabel:ja
IOF-keylabel:ja
BOF-publication weight:1
CSS-citation score:1
Authors from:Government, Higher Education
Toegankelijkheid:Open