Zebrafish Used to Study Human Cancer

U.S. scientists say they’ve found zebrafish are an effective and efficient animal model for assessing human cancer cells at various stages of tumorigenesis.

Researchers from the Cambridge, Mass.-based, Phylonix Pharmaceuticals Inc. said melanoma, colorectal and pancreatic cell lines proliferated, migrated, formed masses and stimulated angiogenesis in zebrafish after being injected into various sites, including the yolk sac, the brain and the circulatory system.

Significant findings of the research included: human cancer cells were not rejected by zebrafish embryos, a major problem with other animal models; new zebrafish angiogenic vessels formed in and around human cancer cell masses, similar to the process of cancer progression in humans; and zebrafish cells incorporated into human cell masses, indicating cell signaling mechanisms are highly conserved.

The scientists say their study demonstrates numerous advantages of using zebrafish as an alternative model for cancer research.

The study is detailed in the advanced online issue of the journal, Angiogenesis.