ABSTRACT
Small animal models remain the foundation for translational necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) research. Four decades of small animal models have led to several breakthrough discoveries that have increased our understanding of NEC pathogenesis. Because there are no animal models of spontaneous NEC and no specific genetic variants that are known to induce NEC in animals, small animal models of NEC use known clinical risk factors to induce the disease. These include formula-gavage feeding with the elimination of breast milk, brief periods of hypoxia, and various enhancements to induce intestinal epithelial inflammation such as colonization with NEC bacteria. Despite the successes of small animal models of NEC in understanding disease pathogenesis, translation to clinically successful therapies have been limited. To that end, advances in ex vivo disease modeling systems have led to the development of novel NEC-in-a-dish platforms that have the potential for more effective drug discovery.
