Cryoinjury-induced acute myocardial infarction model and ameroid constrictor-induced ischemic heart disease model in adult micro-mini pigs for preclinical studies

Background Coronary artery diseases (CAD) are the most commonly occurring disorders in the developed countries. Development of new therapeutics and their success in clinical studies require confirmation of therapeutic effects in large animal models. Swine is an ideal animal model because their anatomical features are similar to humans. However, sometimes their large body size hampers translational research, particularly in cell or tissue transplantation procedures for adult stage and long-term observation studies. We have been developing the smallest experimental pig, called micro-mini pigs (MMPs), for regenerative medicine.