Zebrafish have already been used to facilitate a number of the biological processes behind muscular dystrophy, a disorder that gradually causes the muscles to weaken.
Zebrafish have already been used to facilitate a number of the biological processes behind muscular dystrophy, a disorder that gradually causes the muscles to weaken.
It is also an essential model for understanding the development of diseases such as cancer, a common genetic disease caused by mutations in our DNA that lead to uncontrolled cell proliferation and the formation of a tumor.
Zebrafish have a similar genetic structure to humans; they share close than 72 per cent of genes with us, making the study of zebrafish genetics ideal for research. Moreover, we know that eight-four (84) per cent of genes that are known to be associated with some sort of human disease have also a zebrafish gene counterpart.
Being a vertebrate, the zebrafish has the same major organs and tissues as humans. Their blood, heart, muscles, eyes, and kidneys share many features with human systems.
Zebrafish are a popular model for study because of the ease with which they can be maintained, their small size, the ability to obtain hundreds of embryos daily, and the accessibility, transparency, and rapidity of early developmental stages.
Zebrafish are prolific breeders, producing transparent embryos that allow researchers to study early developmental events in detail. Males are distinguished by their yellow coloring and larger anal fins. Breeding pairs spawn within the first two hours after dawn or just before dusk, producing several hundred eggs.
Our research interests focus on identifying novel genes and pathways that are essential for tumor transformation and progression, particularly for Lymphoma/Leukemia and Breast Cancer.
The research strategy that we use at our laboratory, among others, is to combine the analysis of human cancer genomic databases with the genetic and imaging capacities of the zebrafish counterpart. The mid and long-term goal of our laboratory is to translate the results of our research to contribute to the effort of eradicating cancer and other diseases.
Contact us at ZeClinics for your biological/pharmacological question, and we will propose and run the best zebrafish-based scientific methodology and will provide you with reliable results.