Papers of the Week

Spine and spinal cord pathologies and associated neuropathic pain are among the most complex medical disorders to treat. While rodent models are widely used in spine and spinal cord research and have provided valuable insight into pathophysiological mechanisms, these models offer limited translatability. Thus, studies in rodent models have not led to the development of clinically effective therapies. More recently, swine has become a favored model for spine research because of the high congruency of the species to humans with respect to spine and spinal cord anatomy, vasculature, and immune responses. However, conventional breeds of swine commonly used in these studies present practical and translational hurdles due to their rapid growth toward weights well above those of humans.