Table 3.

Main interests and limits of different models (non-exhaustive list).

Models	Species	Interests	Limits
Animal	Mouse Rat Pig Non-human primates Others	-Integrative models -Mimic human pathophysiology -Mimic potential severity of diseases -Allow longer follow-up -Systemic and remote effects -Availability of genetically modified models -Required by regulatory authorities before starting clinical studies -Availability of biological materials	-Variability, inconsistency -Low reproducibility -Possible high mortality rate -Low survival rate in early phase -Few or no efficiency markers (no cell specific markers) -Expensive and delicate maintenance -Housing structure required -Ethical aspects -Strain creation may be difficult and expensive
Cells	Rat Mouse Human Others	-Cell of human origin -Results often generalizable -Cell immortalization -Cryopreservation -Preservation of phenotypic characteristics (primary cultures but low level of division) related to cell-specific function -Economic and possible infinite growth -Possibility to modify the genetic background (using genome editing) -Controlled conditions and easy maintenance -Good reproducibility -Overcomes ethical aspects -Large volume of data	-Tedious to harvest (primary cultures) -Loss of specific function during expansion for primary cells -Poor biological relevance for immortalized cells -Cross-contamination -Difficulty in optimizing cross-talk, cell-matrix and cell-to-cell interaction -No microenvironment and immune influence