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Horm Metab Res 2015; 47(01): 43-47
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1390446
Commentary
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Humanized Mouse Models for Type 1 Diabetes Including Pancreatic Islet Transplantation

S. Rahmig
1   Regeneration in Hematopoiesis and Animal Models in Hematopoiesis, Institute for Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
,
S. R. Bornstein
2   Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
,
T. Chavakis
2   Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
3   Department of Clinical Pathobiochemistry, Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
,
E. Jaeckel
4   Hannover Medical School, Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Endocrinology, Hannover, Germany
,
C. Waskow
1   Regeneration in Hematopoiesis and Animal Models in Hematopoiesis, Institute for Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

received 27 July 2014

accepted 08 September 2014

Publication Date:
04 November 2014 (online)

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Abstract

We comment here on the suitability of available mouse models for type 1 diabetes research including research on therapeutic pancreatic islet transplantation. The major emphasis will be laid on models that require minimal invasive procedures.

Most biological processes are too complex for a complete recapitulation in a test tube. The study of innate or even adaptive immune responses involves a number of different cell types and organs making in vitro studies unreliable but also providing extreme challenges for the use of surrogate model organisms. Studying these processes directly in humans is impossible due to ethical and technical constraints. To resolve this problem small animal models such as mice or rats are frequently used to study mechanisms of complex diseases. This has brought much insight into hematopoiesis and immune cell function including type 1 diabetes (T1D); however, 65 million years of evolution introduced striking differences between mice and humans [1]. In fact, none of the many suggested therapies arising from studies using mice [2] [3] that have promised prevention or even reversion of T1D made it into the clinic yet [4] [5] [6]. The reason for this are major species-specific differences between rodents and humans regarding the immune system and beta cells.

Key words

diabetes mellitus type 1 - islet transplantation - transplantation - autoimmunity - humanized mice
 

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