Some years ago, I was interested in phenotypic screening that use zebrafish.
In drug discovery project, we use animal models (often use rodent) to estimate efficacy, safety or etc.
Also Knock out/in mouse is used for target validation.
It’s still high cost and low throughput step.
So, I think zebrafish is one of the interesting tool for check efficacy, safety, or target validation.
Calum A. MacRael et. al. reported exciting reviews in Nat.Rev.DD.
http://www.nature.com/nrd/journal/v14/n10/full/nrd4627.html
They described advantages of screening in zebrafish.
1st, Broad range of accessible biology.
2nd, Early insight into toxicity.
They listed lots of examples of published screens in zebrafish in Table1.
And interesting that physiology, metabolism are well conserved.
Screening often go on 96 well pate, so it’s indicate that screening throughput is high.
Some success examples are described, one project of UCB goes Phase II trials.
Not only cancer but also other diseases are targeted this screening system.
Recently genome editing technology TALENs, CRISPR-cas enable access knock-in / out line rapidly.
I think it’s new era of drug discovery.
???
I didn’t have any experience of zebrafish screening.
So, I wonder solubility requirements of chemical library for screening, because fish in aqueous media.
How about DMSO tolerance ?
I’ll read some reports about the screening.
Is life worth living? 