Progress in modelling acute lung injury in a pre-clinical mouse model.

A nimal models of acute lung injury (ALI) have contributed significantly to our understanding of the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of the clinical syndrome of ALI and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) [1]. Investigators have used a wide variety of smalland largeanimal models in order to understand the mechanisms of injury to both the lung endothelial and epithelial barriers, as well as to test novel therapeutic strategies [2–4]. All animal models are limited in their ability to model the complex clinical syndrome of ALI/ARDS because they cannot replicate several of the confounding factors, including the effects of age, chronic medical diseases such as liver and renal insufficiency, and the impact of genetic and environmental factors that may contribute to the clinical syndrome of ALI/ARDS [3]. Nevertheless, animal models have made important contributions to understanding several of the mechanisms responsible for the development of lung injury [4, 5].