Table 3.

Advantages and disadvantages of the CRISPR-generated DMD animal models.

Model	Advantages	Disadvantages
Mouse	Wide number of mutations, humanized model available, easy to breed and handle, good for powered studies, relatively inexpensive	Mild phenotype overall, cardiac phenotypes require further investigation, small body size
Rat	Potential cardiac phenotype, continuous DMD progression, suitable for behavioral studies, easy to breed and handle, good for powered studies, relatively inexpensive	Non-isogenic colony used for mutant generation, mosaic mutations require careful consideration, small body size
Pig	Good genetic, physiological, and anatomical similarity to humans, large body size	Very early mortality prevents breeding and further study, long gestational period, expensive to maintain and house
Rabbit	Good genetic, physiological, and anatomical similarity to humans, strong cardiac phenotype, intermediate body size, relatively short gestational period	May be expensive to maintain and house (but less so than the pig or monkey), mosaic mutations require careful consideration
Monkey	Least evolutionary distance and hence greatest similarity to humans, large body size	Lack of phenotypic analysis for living mutants, long gestational period, mosaic mutations require careful consideration, expensive to maintain and house