02390nas a2200229   4500008004100000245010500041210006900146260000800215300001200223490000600235520164400241100002101885700001601906700001401922700001501936700001701951700001501968700001201983700001701995700001802012856013002030       2016                        eng d00aRelevance of small laboratory animals as models in translational research: challenges and road ahead0 aRelevance of small laboratory animals as models in translational  cMAY  a198-2090 v63 aTranslational research using small laboratory animals is being done to demonstrate proof of concept, to study pharmacokinetics as well as to understand efficacy and safety of new drug molecules. During the evaluation of a drug candidate, the assessment of efficacy and safety is normally performed in different experiments using various animal models. In such experiments, efficacy is assessed by mimicking the disease state in animal model while safety is investigated in healthy animals. Inventing new drugs using biotechnological and nanotechnological approaches is becoming a major thrust area in drug research. Apart from this, the development of medicine from traditional knowledge like Ayurveda has emerged as major area for drug industry. Use of conventional in-vivo approaches may not prove useful to answer many questions. Transgenic/knock-out/knock-in animals are now getting space in pharmaceutical research for target identification and validation. Predictability of in-vivo research depends on scientific protocols and methods adopted for model selection and development. Various alternative approaches for in-vivo research are being followed. It is a fact that no animal model is 100 % capable of mimicking the complex human body but still, researchers have not yet found any alternative model which can completely replace in-vivo models. This review is a holistic approach explaining the various animal models being used for translational research, animal ethical issues, alternative approaches available and provides a critical analysis of major issues/challenges faced in translational research using in-vivo approaches. 1 aSiddiqui, E., A.1 aJagdale, P.1 aAhire, K.1 aJadhav, S.1 aKhan, S., A.1 aBhosle, S.1 aPal, A.1 aJamdagni, P.1 aChaudhari, B.  uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/relevance-small-laboratory-animals-models-translational-research-challenges-and-road-ahead