Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are among the most widely known and studied environmental contaminants, originating from a range of natural and anthropogenic sources. PAHs are known to occur in the environment as complex mixtures, containing both unsubstituted PAHs, as well as a range of PAH derivatives. Among the less-studied of...
Since its inception as a laboratory animal in the early 1970s, the zebrafish has proven itself a rising star in the world of comparative biomedical sciences due to its short generation time, ease of care, external fertilization, and transparent larvae. In a very few decades, the zebrafish has been utilized...
A fundamental difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells is the presence of membrane bound organelles in eukaryotes. The dynamics of membrane trafficking within the cell are responsible for everything from intercellular communication and cell homeostasis, to mitosis, cell migration, and differentiation. These processes require exocytosis and compensatory endocytosis, often working...
Due to their unique physical, chemical, and magnetic properties, nanomaterials have great potential for industrial development. There is a pressing need to develop rapid whole animal-based testing assays to assess the potential toxicity of engineered nanomaterials. To meet this challenge the embryonic zebrafish model was employed to determine the toxicity...
Zebrafish (Brachydanio rerio) are small, freshwater teleost fishes in the family
Cyprinidae, the true minnows. They are native to the tropical latitudes of India, but
have become widespread through their use as aquarium fish and as models for several
branches of biological research. Their ease of rearing, short generation time,...
Auditory defects and disorders are prevalent at all ages and affect 8% of the population in developed nations including newborns and children. Congenital hearing loss is the most common birth defect and it is estimated that 1 in 1000 children are affected by deafness at birth or before the onset...
Laboratories around the world are using the zebrafish model for biomedical research and conducting investigations using morphological, physiological, behavioral, and genomic endpoints. All assays provide information, but physiological and behavioral endpoints or phenotypes are a fast way to understand how an animal is responding to its environment. We investigate the...
Billions of pounds of bisphenol A (BPA) are produced annually around the globe for the manufacture of numerous consumer products, including polycarbonate food and water containers, the protective resin linings of food cans, thermal printing paper, and dental fillings. BPA exposure during nervous system development has been associated with learning...
Incorporation of nanoparticles (NPs) into consumer products is on the rise and human exposure to NPs is unavoidable. Currently, there is insufficient data to assess the safety of nanoparticles. I conducted a series of five studies using the zebrafish model to determine which NP components (i.e., core material or surface...
There are more than 87,000 chemicals in current use with little to no toxicity information available. Assessing such a large number of chemicals using traditional methods would take an unreasonable amount of time and money, and require the use a large number of animals. The incorporation of high-throughput in vivo...