RODENT MODELS IN COVID-19 VACCINE RESEARCH

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is taking place globally, causing severe economic consequences. The number of deaths of the disease stays high and because of the new virus variants, it is likely to increase. The study of disease and the development of therapeutic vaccines have been utilizing animal models, especially rodent models infected with SAR-CoV-2. Commonly used models include transgenic mice (K18-hACE2, Ad-hACE2), Syrian Hamster and Ferret. They show a lot of similar symptoms to human when infected such as pneumonia, respiratory failure, difficulty breathing. In addition, preclinical vaccine trials in rodent models have also yielded positive results, thereby paving the way for clinical and clinical trials.