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The Zebrafish: A Versatile Model Organism for Biomedical Research

Natsume Sōseki

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Published in The Zebrafish In Biomedical Research: Biology Husbandry Diseases And Research Applications (American College Of Laboratory Animal Medicine)

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The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a small, freshwater fish that has emerged as a powerful model organism for biomedical research. Zebrafish are widely used in studies of human development, disease, and toxicology. They are particularly valuable for studying vertebrate biology because they share many genetic and physiological similarities with humans.

The Zebrafish in Biomedical Research: Biology, Husbandry, Diseases, and Research Applications (American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine)

by Laurie Halse Anderson

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Zebrafish have several advantages as a model organism. First, they are small and easy to maintain in the laboratory. Second, they reproduce quickly and produce large numbers of offspring. Third, zebrafish embryos are transparent, which allows researchers to observe the development of internal organs and tissues in real time. Finally, zebrafish are genetically tractable, which means that researchers can easily create mutations and knockouts to study gene function.

Zebrafish in Human Development

Zebrafish have been used to study a wide range of developmental processes, including organogenesis, cell differentiation, and tissue patterning. Because zebrafish embryos are transparent, researchers can use microscopy to observe the development of these processes in real time. This has led to a number of important discoveries about how organs and tissues form.

For example, zebrafish have been used to study the development of the heart. By observing the development of the zebrafish heart in real time, researchers have been able to identify a number of genes that are essential for heart formation. This has led to a better understanding of how congenital heart defects occur in humans.

Zebrafish in Disease

Zebrafish have also been used to study a wide range of diseases, including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and cardiovascular diseases. Because zebrafish share many genetic and physiological similarities with humans, they are a good model for studying the pathogenesis of these diseases.

For example, zebrafish have been used to study the development of cancer. By creating mutations in genes that are known to cause cancer in humans, researchers have been able to create zebrafish models of cancer. These models have been used to study the progression of cancer and to identify new targets for cancer therapy.

Zebrafish in Toxicology

Zebrafish have also been used to study the toxicity of environmental pollutants. Because zebrafish embryos are small and develop rapidly, they are an ideal model for screening chemicals for potential toxicity. By exposing zebrafish embryos to chemicals and observing the effects on their development, researchers can identify chemicals that are harmful to human health.

For example, zebrafish have been used to study the toxicity of heavy metals. By exposing zebrafish embryos to different concentrations of heavy metals, researchers have been able to identify the levels of exposure that are harmful to human health. This information has been used to set safety standards for heavy metals in the environment.

The zebrafish is a versatile model organism that has made significant contributions to our understanding of human development, disease, and toxicology. Zebrafish are likely to continue to play an important role in biomedical research in the years to come.

Zebrafish Embryo The Zebrafish In Biomedical Research: Biology Husbandry Diseases And Research Applications (American College Of Laboratory Animal Medicine)

Table 1. Advantages of using zebrafish as a model organism
Advantage	Description
Small and easy to maintain	Zebrafish are small and easy to maintain in the laboratory. They can be housed in small tanks and require relatively little care.
Reproduce quickly and produce large numbers of offspring	Zebrafish reproduce quickly and produce large numbers of offspring. This makes it easy to obtain embryos for research studies.
Embryos are transparent	Zebrafish embryos are transparent, which allows researchers to observe the development of internal organs and tissues in real time. This makes it possible to study developmental processes in a non-invasive way.
Genetically tractable	Zebrafish are genetically tractable, which means that researchers can easily create mutations and knockouts to study gene function. This makes it possible to study the role of genes in a variety of developmental and disease processes.