Genetically modified animals in pharmacological research: future trends

The recognition of molecular control elements which govern cell and organ f unction is essential for the development of novel drug therapies and for an understanding of drug actions. Thus, a major interest is focused on method ologies which permit the identification of novel control elements. This is of particular relevance for the identification of drug targets, the distinc tion of target isoforms, the differentiation of signalling pathways, the ge neration of disease models and toxicological testing. In this review, we di scuss different classes of genetically modified animals and their potential to elucidate biological processes relevant for pharmacological research in cluding functional genomics. Techniques which permit the time- and tissue-s pecific inducible regulation of gene expression present an important method ological advance. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.