Zebrafish are prized in science for their rapid growth rates and the transparent bodies of their young, which make them ideal for studies of genetics and morphology. This month, developmental biologists began the biggest ever zebrafish screening program, focused on mutants, at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen, Germany.
To find interesting genes that affect bone and organ development, the researchers will induce random alterations in zebrafish DNA by exposing the fish to mutagenic chemicals. They plan to breed and scan 17 million fish over the next year. Fifty scientists and technicians--including several from Harvard, University College London, and the University of Heidelberg--will examine tiny fish embryos under microscopes for aberrations. "We can even monitor their blood pressure and heartbeat" with miniature instruments, says Peter Stadler, chief of Artemis, the company funding the $7 million project. Artemis is financed in part by Exilexis Pharmaceuticals of South San Francisco.
Getting the project started was a major logistical challenge, says Stadler. Artemis is adding a fish facility at Tübingen to hold some of the 9000 12-liter tanks required for the project, all of them pathogen-free and fully controlled for temperature and acidity.
