Models for Biomedical Research: A New Perspective

摘要

Models for Biomedical Research provides a historical summary of the concept and use of models and their contributions to biomedical knowledge, evaluations of the utility of nonmammalian models, with particular attention to nonmammalian vertebrates, invertebrates, microorganisms, cell and tissue culture systems, and mathematical models. The report proposes a new perspective on the role of models, whereby they serve as sources of information that can be generalized to the total body of biological knowledge rather than directly, or only, to humans. In the course of the study six workshops were held to explore the use of models in various aspects of biomedical research. Summaries of the workshops are included as appendices to the report.