Animal Models: Nonhuman Primates

Introduction

The notion that stroke studies in nonhuman primates (NHPs) will enable the translation of a promising therapy to humans is theoretically sound, but unproven in the absence of a positive human study. Moreover, tissue plasminogen activator (the only widely approved acute ischemic stroke therapy) was translated to human usefulness with rabbit models of thromboembolic stroke, and not primates . Conversely, clinical trials with the neuroprotectant NXY-059 were conducted after promising preclinical results in NHPs, but they resulted in a failed phase III human trial . Thus factors other than the animal model may need to be accounted for in the effort to translate promising neuroprotectants to clinical usefulness. Nonetheless, NHPs may provide an opportunity to further validate promising therapies, especially neuroprotectants. If so, then the choice of species, the method of inducing the stroke, and the choice of outcome measures may be critical in ensuring that a primate study is predictive of human results.