Zebrafish

Znomics research is based on the zebrafish (Danio rerio) — a vertebrate with genes homologous to approximately 80-90% of the genes found in humans.

Utility of the Zebrafish for Drug Discovery

An August 8, 2003 Wall Street Journal article heralded the zebrafish as edging out the mouse as the animal best suited for genetic studies. Why is this energetic little swimmer a better model for drug discovery than more traditional laboratory animals?

• Rapid generation — from embryo to free-living animal in 5 days
• High fecundity — females produce hundreds of eggs per week, year-round
• Transparency — enables simultaneous analysis of multiple organ systems and tissues
• Ease of high-throughput, in vivo (live animal) dosing and screening — facilitates testing of all drug targets simultaneously
• Ease of high-throughput, in vivo (live animal) dosing and screening — allows simultaneous analysis of efficacy, toxicity and pharmacokinetics
• Cost-efficiency — requires relatively little space; very low maintenance costs

Importantly, extensive research has shown that many FDA-approved and marketed human pharmaceuticals are active in the zebrafish, thus validating the concept that new drugs can be discovered in this model system.

Znomics Zebrafish Lines

Znomics conducts discovery research using zebrafish from the ZeneMark® Library.  Znomics also provides mutant zebrafish lines to research partners under Material Transfer Agreements.

ZeneMark Library

The ZeneMark^® Library is a comprehensive and searchable collection of mutant zebrafish lines used for studying the function of genes.  These mutant zebrafish are highly informative and effective tools for drug target discovery and disease modeling.  Znomics scientists created this unique resource using retroviral insertional mutagenesis. The library currently contains mutations in more than 11,000 different zebrafish genes, or approximately half of the genes in the zebrafish genome, many of which are similar to human genes. 

Living Library

The Living Library, a subset of the ZeneMark^® Library, is a collection of zebrafish strains maintained as living lines that contain defined retroviral insertional mutations. Fish lines from the Living Library have defined heterozygous mutations.

Human Disease Library

Mutations in approximately 354 different genes have been documented to cause disease in humans. The Human Disease Gene Library is another subset of the ZeneMark^® Library maintained as living lines or frozen sperm. The strains contain retroviral insertions in genes homologous to known human disease genes.

To inquire about specific zebrafish lines, please use the convenient Research Inquiry form. Just provide your contact information, along with the Zenemark ID number(s) for the line(s) in which you are interested, and a Znomics representative will reply as rapidly as possible. Alternatively, please contact us or call 503-827-5271, ext. 201.

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