The British Heart Foundation sponsors research into the ways that zebrafish are able to repair their heart after it has been damaged.
Heart Muscle Growth and Repair
Humans develop heart muscle from unspecialised 'stem cells' early in their embryonic life, and are not able to grow new cells when adult.
Many other animals are able to continue growing new heart cells throughout their lives, and the zebrafish (Danio rerio), for example, is able to regenerate heart muscle by persuading a few heart muscle cells to revert to an earlier, undifferentiated, state (similar to 'stem cells').
Zebrafish or Zebra Danios
Zebrafish are small freshwater fish frequently kept by aquarists. They are usually sold as 'zebra danios', and are easy to keep and breed.
Zebrafish are excellent research animals for studying the development and repair of heart muscle (watch ' The science of the zebrafish ' - British Heart Foundation YouTube Video ) :
- Zebrafish grow very fast, reaching adult size in just three months,
- they can repair their heart after major damage (amputation of 20%),
- Drugs can be administered very easily by just adding them to their aquarium water,
- and they are transparent so processes can be observed directly without the need for killing and dissecting specimens.
British Heart Foundation
The British Heart Foundation is using the zebrafish in its 50th anniversary campaign (the 'Mending Broken Hearts Appeal') to raise money for research. Human hearts are built from embryonic stem cells, and the zebrafish research is looking into the way these cells are controlled by chemical signals. It is hoped that a fuller understanding will eventually lead to ways of repairing hearts after heart attacks, and when patients are suffering from heart failure.
Animal Genetics and Human Medicine
Studying the way that animal genes function can help us understand the way the same, or similar, genes work in humans. Often chemical messengers are involved, and when this is fully understood there is the possibility of developing drugs to treat human medical conditions.
Some animals (for example dogs and cats) can have genetic defects that seem to be very similar to human conditions, and understanding them at a fundamental level should help improve medical treatment.
In other cases (such as the zebrafish) animals can do things (in this case repair heart muscle) that humans cannot. Understanding how this works in the fish might allow the development of new drugs for humans.
Zebrafish studies will help humans with heart conditions.
References:
British Heart Foundation and ' Zebrafish heart regeneration ... ', Jopling et al., Nature News March 2010.
