The Use of Animal Models for Antiviral Therapeutics Development: Opportunities and Challenges

Significant scientific advances have been made through the use of In Vitro techniques (such as cell culture). However, the entire organism is needed to study physiological processes and relationships between different organs. Animal models of infectious diseases have a significant advantage over In Vitro studies because they help researchers comprehend the complex interplay between pathogens and the immune system. Viral infections are among the most common causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Moreover, drug resistance is a key challenge that necessitates vigilant management of treatment regimens and the ongoing discovery of novel antiretroviral medications. It is crucial to understand the fundamentals of using model systems because evaluating new antiviral drugs and vaccines in animal models is necessary before conducting clinical trials in human patients. An animal model of human viral infection should ideally mirror the host-pathogen interactions and disease progression found in the natural disease course. A suitable animal model of viral infection should enable the analysis of numerous infection parameters, such as clinical symptoms, viral growth, clinicopathological parameters, cellular and humoral immune responses, and virus-host interactions. In this chapter, we summarize the findings on the use of animal models for the development and evaluation of therapeutic approaches and vaccines to combat some of the most dangerous viral infections that still pose a burden to public health.