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Li et al. Ageing Neur Dis 2022;2:13 Ageing and
DOI: 10.20517/and.2022.13
Neurodegenerative
Diseases

Review Open Access

Genetically engineered pig models of neurological
diseases

1
1
1
2
Caijuan Li , Jun Li , Liangxue Lai , Shihua Li , Sen Yan 1
1
Guangdong Key Laboratory of Non-human Primate Research, Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration,
Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong, China.
2
CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine,
South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, Guangdong, China.
Correspondence to: Prof. Shihua Li, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Non-human Primate Research, Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau
Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Blvd W, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong, China. E-
mail: lishihualis@jnu.edu.cn; Prof. Sen Yan, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Non-human Primate Research, Guangdong-Hongkong-
Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Blvd W, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong,
China. E-mail: 231yansen@163.com
How to cite this article: Li C, Li J, Lai L, Li S, Yan S. Genetically engineered pig models of neurological diseases. Ageing Neur Dis
2022;2:13. https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/and.2022.13
Received: 29 May 2022 First Decision: 5 Jul 2022 Revised: 10 Jul 2022 Accepted: 22 Jul 2022 Published: 1 Aug 2022

Academic Editor: Weidong Le Copy Editor: Peng-Juan Wen Production Editor: Peng-Juan Wen

Abstract
Genetically modified animal models are commonly used for in vivo studies of human diseases. Mice are the most
common animal models used in biomedical research, which have provided important insights into disease
pathogenesis and are widely used to find treatments for diseases. However, due to the differences in the
anatomical structure and physiological function between human and mouse brains, most genetically modified
mouse models cannot fully recapitulate the overt and selective neuronal loss seen in age-dependent
neurodegeneration diseases. While non-human primates (NHP) are closer to humans and have been used to
model human disease, these models are difficult to be utilized at a large scale due to various limitations including
their high costs, prolonged breeding time, community concerns for use of NHP, and high ethical standards. As an
important animal resource in agriculture, pigs are also used as animal models in biomedical research. The central
nervous system of pigs is highly similar to that of humans, making pig models suitable for investigating neurological
diseases. The relatively short breeding period, large litter size, and established somatic cell transfer technology are
advantages over NHP for using pigs to model human diseases. The recent development of gene editing tools allows

© The Author(s) 2022. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, sharing,
adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, for any purpose, even commercially, as
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