Transgenic rabbit models for biomedical research: Current status, basic methods and future perspectives

The creation of genetically modified laboratory and livestock animals is one of the most dramatic advances derived from recombinant DNA technology. Over the past decade, the development of a large mammal transgenic model, transgenic rabbits, has provided unprecedented opportunities for investigators to study the mechanisms of human diseases and has also provided a novel way to produce foreign proteins for both therapeutic and commercial purposes. Recent progress in gene targeting and animal cloning has opened new avenues for production of transgenic rabbits. In this review, we will introduce the reader to the progress that has been achieved in transgenic rabbits with emphasis on the application of these rabbits as human disease models and bioproducers of human therapeutic proteins.