Comparative Morphometry of the Wisconsin Miniature Swine^TM Thoracic Spine for Modeling Human Spine in Translational Spinal Cord Injury Research

Abstract

Background/Aims: Spine and spinal cord pathologies and associated neuropathic pain are among the most complex medical disorders to treat. While rodent models are widely used in spine and spinal cord research and have provided valuable insight into pathophysiological mechanisms, these models offer limited translatability. Thus, studies in rodent models have not led to the development of clinically effective therapies. More recently, swine has become a favored model for spine research because of the high congruency of the species to humans with respect to spine and spinal cord anatomy, vasculature, and immune responses. However, conventional breeds of swine commonly used in these studies present practical and translational hurdles due to their rapid growth toward weights well above those of humans. Methods: In the current study, we evaluated the suitability of a human-sized breed of swine developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Wisconsin Miniature Swine^TM (WMS^TM), in the context of thoracic spine morphometry for use in research to overcome limitations of conventional swine breeds. The morphometry of thoracic vertebrae (T1–T15) of 5–6 months-old WMS was analyzed and compared to published values of human and conventional swine spines. Results: The key finding of this study is that WMS spine more closely models the human spine for many of the measured vertebrae parameters, while being similar to conventional swine in respect to the other parameters. Conclusion: WMS provides an improvement over conventional swine for use in translational spinal cord injury studies, particularly long-term ones, because of its slower rate of growth and its maximum growth being limited to human weight and size.

New Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury: Autologous Genetically-Enriched Leucoconcentrate Integrated with Epidural Electrical Stimulation

“…To facilitate this translation to the clinical trials experimental studies are supposed to be performed on large animals closer to humans on a morpho-physiological scale [ 39 ]. Herein we selected a mini-pig model with close to human spinal cord functional neuroanatomy, physiological, and biochemical characteristics [ 40 , 41 ].…”

Epidural Stimulation Combined with Triple Gene Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury Treatment

“…However, the positive results obtained in the experiments on small animals (rodents) cannot be directly translated to humans. To facilitate this translation to the clinical studies and further expand our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of SCI on large animals closer to humans in morpho-physiological scale, we selected a pig model of SCI with close to human spinal cord functional neuroanatomy, physiological, and biochemical characteristics [ 33 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ]. In the present pilot study on the limited number of animals, we demonstrate for the first time the effect of a combination of EES and ex vivo triple gene therapy applied following SCI in pigs ( Figure 1 ).…”

Brachial Plexus Anatomy of Miniature Swine Compared to Human

“…The lack of clinically-relevant therapies in rodent models despite their widespread use has resulted in more studies shifting their focus towards larger animal models. Miniture swine are comparable to humans from an anatomical, physiological, and pathophysiological perspective, making them an ideal model for BPI studies [32].…”