Use of animal models in the development of human vaccines

Over the past 100 years, animal infectious disease research has played a crucial role in the development of human vaccines. In fact, many of today’s vaccines are based on utilizing animal pathogens, either in the form of an attenuated vaccine or as a vaccine vector. Vaccine development has become increasingly complex with chronic and newly emerging diseases, a demand for therapeutic vaccines for noninfectious diseases, extended vaccine in the neonate and the elderly, and increasing concerns regarding vaccine safety. Furthermore, the evaluation of quantity and quality of immune responses and the ability to efficiently translate the results of basic research into the clinic are critical to ensure that vaccines meet their therapeutic potential. Here, we review the importance of animal models for developing and testing novel human vaccines, discuss the limitations of existing animal models in knowledge translation, and summarize the needs and criteria for future animal models. We argue that efficient translation of basic vaccine research to clinical therapies will depend upon the availability of appropriate animal models to address each of the questions which arise during vaccine development.