Comparative Models of Disease

Featured Topic — Wednesday, April 25, 2018 — 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM — Convention Center, Room 25C
Comparative & Evolutionary Physiology Section — Chair: Matthew Pamenter — Co-Chair:

The vast majority of animal-based studies in medical research rely on mouse and rat models of disease; however, these species are often poor model organisms because they are generally intolerant to the disease in question. As such, studies in these species are inherently reactive and ask the question: what went wrong and how can we fix it? Conversely, evolutionary forces have solved many disease-related problems and studies of species that have adapted to similar challenges offer a proactive approach to medical research; i.e.: how has nature solved the problem that we are now facing? For example, comparative model organisms that tolerate prolonged hypoxia serve as excellent models in which to find novel solutions to hypoxia-related diseases (e.g. heart attack, stroke, chronic pulmonary disorders, anemia, etc); long-lived species serve as excellent models for the study of aging and related disorders (senescence, atherosclerosis, etc); tumour-resistent species offer excellent insight into cancer therapies; species that can regenerate limbs are informative in spinal cord injury research. Despite this fantastic promise of the comparative approach to medical research, most researchers in a given medical field are not aware of alternative model organisms that may better suite their research question than common laboratory rodents. Therefore, this seminar seeks to underscore the exciting utility of comparative physiology in medical research by highlighting a diverse sampling of presentations that brings together a wide variety of disease-related research questions that are united by their common use of unconventional study models.

Speakers

• Mechanisms of longevity and cancer resistance in long-lived mammals.
  Xiao Tian — Department of Biology, University of Rochester


• Intrinsic anti-inflammatory properties of serum in deep-diving seals
  Allyson G Hindle — Massachusetts General Hospital


• Genetically Engineering a Sheep Model of Hypophosphatasia
  Diarra Kevin Williams — Texas A&M University


• Hormonal Drive of Cardiomyocyte Proliferative and Regenerative Potential Loss During the Acquisition of Endothermy
  Guo N. Huang — University of California San Francisco


• Seal Endothelial Cells: a Comparative Model to Study Natural Tolerance to Ischemia/Reperfusion
  Jose Pablo Vazquez-Medina — University of California, Berkeley


• CHAIR
  Matthew Pamenter —