Models for erectile dysfunction and their importance to novel drug discovery

Animal models have been instrumental in the discovery of the current therapeutic agents. Advances in molecular biology and proteomics have uncovered many novel potential targets including tissue regeneration and stem cell applications. Rodent models are the current animal model of choice for ED research due to lower cost, well-established modeling protocol, and the ability to manipulate genetically. Future clinical trials should directly assess the translatability of these animal models to humans as well as the safety risks and long-term efficacy that the results generate.