The rapid pace of scientific innovation has driven the development and use of animal models at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical College, as well as at institutions worldwide. In particular, the development of techniques to manipulate the mouse genome has led to a marked increase in the use and value of mouse models of human disease, especially cancer. Both Memorial Sloan Kettering and Weill Cornell expect this trend to continue and are making significant investments to meet the expanding need for animal models. A major component of this expansion is the Center of Comparative Medicine and Pathology.

What is comparative medicine and pathology?

Comparative medicine and pathology are divisions of experimental medicine and pathology concerned with understanding phenomena integral to diseases of all species, including humans. Investigation focuses on both the similarities and differences between species and includes the development, validation, and utilization of animal models (both naturally occurring and experimentally induced) to study the etiology, pathogenesis, and treatment of human and veterinary disease. The discipline also includes the study of the normal biology of animals used as laboratory models and the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, epidemiology, prevention, and treatment of infectious and non-infectious diseases afflicting laboratory animal species.