US Patent 7807864 Transgenic animal as a model for fibrotic diseases

Disclosed is a transgenic non-human animal with broad or cell type-specific ectopic expression of fra-2 that manifests itself in a fibrotic disease, methods for obtaining such animal and their use. Fra-2 transgenic animals, in particular mice, are useful as model systems for human fibrotic disease, e.g. lung scleroderma and pulmonary fibrosis. Cells obtained from the animal are useful for the analysis of fibrotic disease and for testing compounds useful in the therapy of fibrotic disease.