Open AccessThe MHC-characterized Miniature Swine: Lessons Learned From a 40-Year Experience in Transplantation
Author(s) -
Abraham J. Matar,
David H. Sachs,
Raimon DuranStruuck
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
transplantation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.45
H-Index - 204
eISSN - 1534-6080
pISSN - 0041-1337
DOI - 10.1097/tp.0000000000003977
Subject(s) - miniature swine , major histocompatibility complex , transplantation , context (archaeology) , histocompatibility , biology , animal model , immunology , organ transplantation , medicine , antigen , human leukocyte antigen , paleontology , endocrinology
Over the last 40 y, a specialized herd of miniature swine has been intentionally bred to develop lines of animals homozygous for the swine major histocompatibility complex (MHC), which have facilitated transplantation studies across reproducible MHC and minor antigen mismatch barriers. These MHC-characterized miniature swine (Mc-MS) have been used for the study of novel surgical techniques, various approaches to tolerance induction of solid organ and vascularized composite allografts, as well as studies of the immunobiology of allografts and xenografts. Mc-MS possess characteristics that are highly advantageous to these studies, and their continued use will likely continue to play an important role in bridging "bench-to-cage-to bedside" therapies in the field of transplantation. In this review, we highlight the seminal contributions of the Mc-MS model to the field and analyze their role in the broader context of large animal models in transplantation research.