The microbiologically defined health status and the many similarities to humans make the G?ttingen Minipig an ideal animal model in all types of biomedical studies. The G?ttingen Minipig was bred at the University of G?ttingen, Germany, and is the result of crossbreeding the Minnesota minipig, the Vietnamese potbelly pig and the German Landrace pig. The G?ttingen Minipig became available to Germany s biomedical research community in the late 1960s. In 1992, the first colony of barrier-bred, microbiologically defined G?ttingen Minipigs was derived at Ellegaard G?ttingen Minipigs. The G?ttingen Minipig has a well-defined and strictly managed genetic background. In the beginning, the G?ttingen Minipig was primarily used for dermal research but is now used in all fields of biomedical research, including basic research, toxicology, pharmacology and safety assessment of new medicines, medical devices, food additives and agrochemicals. The Minipig s skin, gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, kidney and bladder are very similar to humans in terms of anatomy and function, lending themselves to pharmacological and toxicological investigations alike. The liver metabolism of Minipigs is similar to humans for most CYP isoenzymes. The G?ttingen Minipig is recognized by regulatory authorities, and the Rethink report has confirmed that the Minipig is a highly suitable non-rodent model for non-clinical safety testing.