Zebrafish are vertebrates and as such surprisingly similar to mammals in terms of their genetics. Over 80 per cent of all disease-relevant human genes can be found in the zebrafish genome. Zebrafish are therefore well suited for investigating basic mechanisms of organ development. Prof. Christoph Englert and his team at the Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) have developed a zebrafish line that is particularly suited to investigating kidney development. The fish express a fluorescent protein (GFP) under the control of the Wilms tumour protein (WT1b), which plays an important role in kidney morphogenesis. Organ development can easily be observed in the transparent zebrafish embryos and larvae using non-invasive imaging techniques. The FLI scientists primarily use the model to investigate the effect of age on the ability of kidneys to regenerate.
Furthermore, this fluorescent zebrafish model also has many advantages in other research areas – for example as a tool to evaluate nephrotoxicity in drug development. To this end, the US Novartis subsidiary, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR), closed a licensing agreement with the FLI last year. This allows the company to use the fish in their own drug development projects. ‘I am delighted that our model is being applied in this area, and is making a small contribution to our understanding of the potential effects of new drugs on the kidney,’ says Prof. Christoph Englert.
Ascenion works closely with the FLI team, and assisted in drawing up the licensing agreement.
(Annual Review 2021/22)
