Inside STAT: Labs scramble to find right animals for coronavirus studies

FERRETS ARE AMONG THE ANIMALS RESEARCHERS ARE INFECTING WITH THE COVID-19 VIRUS AS THEY SEARCH FOR A SUITABLE SPECIES TO USE IN TESTS OF VACCINES AND DRUGS. (ETER PARKS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)

Mice, ferrets, marmosets, and African green monkeys. Besides all being mammals that therefore share a lot of similar features, these creatures are now among another group: possible animal models to test a new coronavirus vaccine. As the Covid-19 outbreak rages on and companies race to develop a vaccine and antiviral drugs, it's clear that any candidates can't jump directly from test tubes to people, which is where the animals come in. But not every virus infects every animal in the same way — and even if the animal is infected, it may not show illness like humans do. So in addition to figuring out which vaccine and drug candidates to pursue, scientists have to figure out which animal will offer the most precise glimpse into how people will respond. STAT's Eric Boodman has more here.