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A major biology platform for DanioLabs involves technology based around the use of zebrafish: The US National Institute of Health (NIH) has ranked zebrafish as the 3rd most important species for research after man and rodents. The Welcome Trust Sanger Institute is sequencing the zebrafish genome. Some of the key benefits of zebrafish include:

1. Short reproductive cycle.
2. Large number of offspring per mating.
3. Embryos are transparent allowing internal organs and neurons to be visualised.
4. Strong correlation between human genetics, anatomy and disease.
5. Rapid layout of body plan, allowing study of disease at early stages of embryonic development.
6. Ethically preferred in the drive to reduce, refine and replace.
7. Cost effective.

Within 24 hours of development all of the major organs have been laid out, and by 72 hours the fish can see.

However, the main reason zebrafish have become one of the premier organisms for biological study over the last few years is because they are vertebrates and model human biology closely. It was this unique combination of scalability, genetic tractability and modeling capability that led developmental biologists to choose this organism to study vertebrate development, culminating in a series of seminal publications in 1996.

Zebrafish are tiny. A fixed specimen
is here shown next to a 1p piece

Although these initial screens were intended to pick out developmental mutants, disease-relevant mutants were also found. Two of the earliest mutant genes that were mapped proved to be homologous to the human genes predicted from the phenotype: hepatoerythropoietic porphyria - uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase; sideroblastic anaemia - aminolevulinate synthase. An impressive array of cardiovascular mutants were also identified, including mutants with bradycardia, atrio-ventricular block and atrial fibrillation. Detailed analysis in a variety of organ systems has now shown striking similarities with humans. For example, the zebrafish retina is morphologically very similar to the human retina.

The human disease modeling capabilities of zebrafish have been highlighted in several review articles including: Pichler et al; Rubinstein; Goldsmith et al; Shin et al; Penberthy et al.

The DanioLabs approach

DanioLabs has developed an intellectual property portfolio and a proprietary knowledge base around the use of zebrafish in the drug discovery process. We have established how best to integrate them into our drug discovery programmes such that they are now a key part of this process for DanioLabs. This is evidenced by the richness of our pipeline.