[Guidelines on the appropriate use of animal models for developing therapies in multiple sclerosis].

INTRODUCTION The advance in the achievement of effective therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS), the definition of appropriate therapeutic windows and to establish better diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers have become a challenging task for both researchers and clinicians. Some pitfalls in clinical trials might be related to lack of adequacy of the preclinical studies in MS experimental animal models. AIM To standardize the methodological protocols of experimental models by developing a set of guidelines for preclinical studies by groups of experts from REEM (Spanish Network for MS). DEVELOPMENT A guide with recommendations for the application of MS models including a detailed assessment of appropriate experimental models taking into account the objective of the study that has been presented. Standards and quality criteria necessary in a preclinical study have been included. CONCLUSIONS Standardized animal models of MS are essential to increase the success of the preclinical findings in order to transfer them to the clinical practice.