Non-human primates are essential models in the translational research of multiple sclerosis

Ageing Western societies are facing an increasing prevalence of chronic inflammatory and degenerative diseases for which no effective treatments exist. The pressure on the drug development industry to develop such treatments creates a need for translationally relevant animal models, which faithfully replicate essential pathogenic mechanisms of the human disease. In this Short Review, we discuss the essential role of the non-human primate (NHP) in the translational research into the pathogenesis and treatment of the autoimmune neurological disease multiple sclerosis (MS).