Researchers use a diverse array of aquatic organisms—such as fish, amphibians, and invertebrates—to explore various biological questions.

For biologists, cryopreservation holds major potential for numerous areas of research. The process of vitrifying (i.e., storing in glass to avoid the damaging effects of ice) biological samples—ranging from single cells to whole organisms—can be applied to such areas as biopharmaceutical testing, biological dressings, cell transplantation, and maintenance of genetic stocks.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP) supports many resource centers that develop animal models for research.

The current COVID-19 pandemic in humans, caused by the novel coronavirus strain SARS-CoV-2, has compelled scientists around the world to work remarkably fast to develop vaccines and therapeutics. To achieve this, many researchers are looking to use animal models for their studies. But do animal models for COVID-19 research exist?

Animal Models for Coronavirus Research

Each year, billions of dollars are spent on studying human diseases. Most science experts will agree that the use of laboratory animals is essential to understand how certain ailments develop in humans and to develop novel therapeutic approaches. Due to the ethical dilemma of conducting experiments in people as well as the advances of research studies in well-defined and characterized animal species, scientists have relied on laboratory animals as research models for more than 70 years.

Since making its debut as a research organism in the late 1970s, the humble zebrafish—an unassuming, pinky-sized striped fish originally found in the freshwaters of the Himalayas—has gained significant traction as a valuable tool among genetics and other biomedical researchers. In 1999, this small-sized fish was bestowed with a full-service resource center, established in Eugene, Oregon, with support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).