Because domestic species have enormous value both to biomedicine and agriculture and may be underutilized as biomedical models, this workshop
has four objectives:
           

• To provide a forum for exchange of ideas among scientists that use domestic species as biomedical models, officials at NIH and USDA, and university administrators at land grant institutions.

• To emphasize the scientific importance of domestic species as biomedical models that contribute to human and animal health and well-being, and animal agriculture.  

• To identify high priority research areas that could be advanced by enhanced use of domestic animals as biomedical models.

• To explore the potential need and justification for an interagency program that would be co-funded by one or more institutes within the NIH and by USDA-CSREES and perhaps others  (industry, state governments) to support research in high priority areas that could be advanced by use of domestic species as comparative animal models.