At Umeå University research are performed to understand how diseases develop and progress as well as possible ways of treating them. Basic research with the intension to study and understand biological phenomena is also conducted. Many studies can be performed on microbes, insects and cultured cells. However, in order to fully understand how diseases affect the entire organism, studies on animals and especial mammals are required.
Animal models have played a major and important role in expanding medical knowledge in modern time and improving the medical service possibilities to offer effective treatments or preventive measures against sever diseases.
Several of the most important findings from researchers at Umeå University are based entirely or partly on animal experiments. Including causes of the fatal neuoropathological disease ALS, understanding causes of diabetes type 2, new ways of tackling infertility, repair of spinal cord injuries with transplanting or inducing new growth of nerve tissue, disease progression during infections, and new knowledge of cancerous diseases as well as formation of different organ systems.
