Animal disease models articles from across Nature Portfolio

A naturally short-lived fish opens the gates for rapid exploration of vertebrate aging.

The EQIPD framework for rigor in animal experiments aims to unify current recommendations based on evidence behind their rationale and was prospectively tested for feasibility in multicenter animal experiments.

To improve rigor and reproducibility of animal research, the recently released NIH Advisory Committee report recommends major improvements in investigator statistical training and practice. The IACUC can serve as important gatekeepers of research quality by ensuring that simple statistically based reproducibility criteria are addressed in animal use protocols.

Some ‘species differences’ between mice and humans can be diminished simply by housing mice at warmer temperatures. Failure to strategically turn up the thermostat may undermine the translation of findings in mice to insights into human metabolic diseases.

Non-traditional model organisms can facilitate discovery when their natural properties provide insight into biological mechanisms that are invariant across standard-use lab species. Long-lived naked mole-rats provide such insights for healthy aging.