Representation and Practical Accomplishment in the Laboratory: When is an Animal Model Good-enough?

<jats:p> Biomedical science is dependent on standardised rodents. These lab-rats and lab-mice are different from their wild cousins. Interest in the genetic basis of a variety of phenotypes has meant that lab-rodents have been bred over many decades as resources for experimental science. We focus on the use of lab-rodents as animal models in the study of single-gene human medical conditions. The animals’ status as models is not a given. Scientists calibrate animals against the medical phenomena which they are intended to represent. In turn, human medical conditions and the patients who manifest them have to be calibrated against the rodent models. The creation of animal models and their interpretation is, therefore, part of the practical work of biomedical scientists and their adjustment is a key aspect in determining when the model is good-enough. </jats:p>