Tree shrew(Tupaia belangeri) is a newly developed animal model in medical research.The animal can be successfully infected with many human pathogenic viruses,and has been widely used in research in oncology,endocrinology,neurology and ophthalmology.Experimental animal models provide useful tools to better study the pathogenesis,prevention and treatment of many diseases.This article aims to review the recent advances of application of tree shrew in experimental medical research.