Zebrafish as alternative model in toxicity testing
?Relatively simple vertebrate
?Easy to maintain: low(er) costs
?Each female produces >200 eggs
?Fertilization is external and (relative)
fast development
?Embryos/larvae are transparent (easy to
study development)
?Established model organism in
embryology/developmental research
?Genome almost unraveled
?Transgenic zebrafish (easy available)
?Modeling human disease (embryonic and adult)
?‘Medium-high’ throughput screening (efficacy and safety testing)
Small amounts test compounds
etc.