Zebrafish make splashing headlines in scientific research

Abstract

The study of human diseases continues to be a priority in today’s day and age. Many biological research studies have focused their efforts on trying to identify and interpret the underlying genetic cause of both rare and common diseases alike. In order to understand the genetic basis of human disease, scientists have utilised patients’ cells and other tissue samples, as well as experimental animal models of human disorders. Traditionally, mice and rats have been the preferred animals of choice since they exhibit high similarity to human characteristics. Nonetheless, they also bear considerable limitations, including absence of the corresponding gene of interest, high costs, space requirements and low number of offspring. Alternative animal models have thus been considered, particularly the zebrafish model. [excerpt]