Rodents in Drug Discovery

Abstract

Animals, especially rodents, are an integral part of any drug discovery and development program. Once initial in silico and in vitro experiments are completed, a new chemical is tested for its pharmacokinetic profile, efficacy, and safety in animals, rodents being the most commonly used animals. Millions of rodents (rats and mice) are being used annually to understand the properties of new chemicals. Apart from wild types, genetically modified rats and mice such as knock-out or knock-in animals are very popular nowadays in understanding the biology behind diseases. Though the emergence of advanced technologies undermines the use of rodents in research, replacing animal use in research now seems to be a dream.