Abstract:
Opossums are serving as powerful biomedical tools in studies being conducted by Dr. William Jurgelsky at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, near Raleigh. The newborn opossum is much like a two-month old human fetus in its ability to serve as a unique animal model for testing the effect of suspected toxins on infant development. This article discusses Jurgelsky’s experiments and discoveries in fetal development.