To overcome the limitations of existing models of diabetes, our team together with our collaborator, Dr. KC Hayes at Brandeis University, introduced the nile grass rat (NGR) as a unique animal model that recapitulates all relevant organ manifestations of diabetes.
The NGR, Arvicanthis niloticus, is an herbivorous rodent inhabiting the dry savanna, woodlands, and grasslands in Africa. In following the physiological, nutritional, and pathologic parameters of more than 6000 NGRs over the past decade, we established that the NGR is metabolically challenged in much the same way as humans with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and metabolic syndrome (MetS).