The sensory nerve function is similar between pig and human, particularly in important pain biomarkers such as TRPV1. The pig skin is mediated by silent nociceptors as in human and has a similar number of nerve ending fibers, unlike rodents.
Pig skin exhibits a higher degree of homology to human in both structure and penetration. There is also correlation between contractile, metabolic and morphological features in skeletal muscle of humans and pigs.
There are many similarities between the pig and human including the cardiovascular, central nervous, immune and digestive systems. The pig is more predictive for topical treatments, enables medical device evaluation, and drug volumes would mimic human doses.
Behavioral assessments along with physiological readouts offer a broader understanding of the basic biological mechanism of disease and cognitive impairment.
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Intraepidermal nerve fiber (IENF) analysis in skin biopsy samples allows the study of neuroprotective or neurodegenerative effects of drug therapies.
Click here to learn more about biomarkers and staining methods.
If you are ready to discuss how translational studies can fit into your development program, our scientists are eager to explore the possibilities with you. Like many other pharmaceutical and medical device developers, you can rely on predictive preclinical data.
