Next Top Model

One member of the minnow family (Cyprinidae) zebrafish (Danio rerio) are often found in research labs across the world. Thanks to their transparent embryos and genetic similarities to humans, these fish offer unique opportunities for researchers to watch how a body is built. But they're only transparent up to a point making later steps in development inaccessible to see. Now a ‘new fish in town’ could be the next top model organism. It’s another type of minnow called Danionella cerebrum that remains transparent until adulthood allowing researchers to use advanced imaging techniques to study development, and even ageing, for longer. Researchers successfully adapted imaging techniques which allowed them to track changes in immune cells (green) and blood vessels (magenta) deep within D.cerebrum’s brain for several days (pictured), resulting in an exciting new tool for researchers to learn more about adult-onset diseases in organs deeper in the body than before.

Written by Sophie Arthur

Sophie Arthur

former Science Communications Officer MRC LMS

Formerly a stem cell biologist, Sophie has since moved into science communication working at the MRC LMS. She also writes an award winning science and education blog Soph talks science.

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• Video by Pui-Ying Lam
• Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
• Video originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
• Published in Disease Models & Mechanisms, December 2022