The generation of the HD pig model will give an impetus to research and development in pharmaceuticals based on large animal disease models and speed progress in developing new drugs for degenerative diseases, according to the research team.

Huntington's disease, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS and the like are neurodegenerative diseases that severely threaten human health. These inherited diseases manifest themselves and become increasingly serious as people age. There is no cure, partly due to lack of matchable animal models for drug testing.