Contents

• This report is based on the following instructions -
• A common theme through the unit has been the use of animal and cell biology models to aid in the understanding of human reproductive issues. Using material from lectures, laboratories, journal club sessions and other sources explain the use of experimental models and how they have contributed to the scientific understanding of TWO of the following areas of human reproduction:
• Preterm birth
• Developmental programming of metabolic disease
• Puberty
• Pregnancy adaptation/maladaptation
• Other disorders during pregnancy
• Fertility and infertility

Description

Describe the nature of the human problem (disease/event) being addressed by the animal or cell biology model.
Using specific examples (publications) explain how the model/s chosen helped tackle the problem. Outline the information gained through use of the model and explain why this knowledge could not readily be generated through studies on “whole” humans. A good essay will define and integrate the two problems.
Discuss the limitations to the use of the model for understanding the problem. Limitations should be more than “a mouse is not a human” – they should be limitations specific to that model.
Note: The essay is about experimental models (e.g. models of preeclampsia or fetal growth restriction) not model organisms (e.g. mouse, rat or sheep). The model organism is part of the experimental model, but acts as a tool to enable the disease to be approximated in living tissue. The focus should be on the disease being modelled, not the actual organism.