Patent ID: 7781642

Claim:
A method for screening candidate agents for activity in decreasing blood lipids, the method comprising the steps of: administering a candidate agent to a chimeric, immunodeficient transgenic mouse, wherein the genome of the chimeric, immunodeficient transgenic mouse comprises a polynucleotide encoding a urokinase-type plasminogen activator polypeptide, wherein the polynucleotide is operably linked to a mouse albumin promoter such that the polypeptide is expressed in host mouse liver cells, and wherein the mouse is homozygous for the polynucleotide; and the chimeric, immunodeficient transgenic mouse has a chimeric liver comprising human hepatocytes engrafted into the mouse liver, wherein the human hepatocytes constitute at least 20% of hepatocytes in the chimeric liver, and the chimeric, immunodeficient transgenic mouse expresses human apoB 100 lipoprotein in its serum; and analyzing the effect of the candidate agent upon serum human apoB 100 lipoprotein; wherein a detection of a level of human apoB 100 following candidate agent administration that is decreased relative to a level of human apoB 100 prior to candidate agent administration indicates the candidate agent has activity in decreasing blood lipids.