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The small laboratory fishes, such as zebrafish, medaka, xiphophorus and
killifish, are increasingly being used as biomedical model organisms with
(nearly) sequenced genomes and a rich repertoire of genetic, molecular and
cellular manipulation tools. A unique set of properties (small size,
numerous offspring, optical transparency of the embryo, amenability to
genetic and chemical screens), has made them increasingly popular
vertebrate animal models among biomedical researchers. It has now become
clear that the potential of small fish models far exceeds cell biology and
developmental genetics, being valuable in almost all biomedical areas,
including for example cancer research and neurology. This has been
recognised by scientists and funding agencies worldwide and considerable
resources have been allocated to develop technologies and infrastructure
for the study of current fish models. For instance, the zebrafish and
medaka genomes are almost completely sequenced, large numbers of cDNAs
(ESTs) have been sequenced and annotated, anatomical databases and stock
centres have been developed and a toolbox for genetic, molecular and
cellular manipulations of the zebrafish has been generated.
In Europe, this effort was considerably aided by the Integrated Project
"ZF-MODELS -
Zebrafish Models for Human Development and Disease" funded by
the European Commission as part of its Sixth Framework Programme, which also
ensured a leading position of European zebrafish laboratories worldwide. We
now have biomedical fish models that in many areas rival, and in some
exceed, the versatility of the laboratory mouse.
The increasing interest in zebrafish is reflected in the marked increase in
zebrafish publications in the recent years: the annual number of PubMed
references on zebrafish has more than quadrupled in the past decade.
Nevertheless, the field is still relatively small and in many areas, such
as cancer research, neurology, cardiovascular research, and other traditional
medical disciplines, the potential of the fish models has still to be fully
utilized.
Therefore, the goals of this network are :
to foster exchange within the fish community and further develop
the technology and versatility of the fish model organism
to serve as a point of contact for the biomedical field in general
(incl. funding agencies, SMEs, regulatory bodies, and the interested
general public)
to disseminate information and promote the usage of fish models in
R&D and
to further assist European fish researchers in successfully
competing in and integrating into the European and international research
landscape
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