Experimental models of human leukaemias are used in attempts to reconstruct events that occur in patients with this cancer. Although in vitro systems provide a wealth of information about the cellular and molecular biology of leukaemic cells, they are inadequate for studies that address the complexities of human leukaemia and experimental treatment of this disease. Since the late 1960s, athymic nude mice have provided an opportunity to study xenografted human leukaemia in vivo. Recently, the successful engraftment of human haematopoietic cells into various immune-deficient mice offers an approach to study human haematopoiesis and leukaemia. The goals of this review are to discuss how mouse models have been utilized to study human leukaemia, and to provide an assessment of the strengths and limitations of mouse models.

        Key words: immune-deficient mouse, leukaemia, SCID mouse, xenograft