EARA has published a feature article on the use of zebrafish in biomedical research and their increasing use over other animals.
The article, using case studies, looks at how zebrafish are now among the most commonly used animals, behind mice, and have played key roles in our understanding of the biology of development, behaviour, brain diseases, cancer and other conditions.
These small freshwater fish seem quite different to humans, but in fact share many similarities, including in genetics – 84% of zebrafish genes have a link to human disease.
With the rise of scientific technologies and capabilities, zebrafish are now also increasingly being used for breakthroughs into regenerating organs, assessing nanomedicines and refining techniques such as imaging and robotics.
End