Zebrafish: An Animal Model in Biomedical Research

The zebrafish is an excellent choice for a model organism due to its well-characterized genome and high levels of genetic, anatomical, and physiological similarity to humans up to a certain extent. Zebrafish’s external fertilization and translucent embryos, which enable real-time visualization of embryonic development, make them very useful for researching developmental biology. Zebrafish have proved useful in understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms of various diseases including developmental research. Economic husbandry practices in zebrafish rearing compared to other laboratory animals favor the model to be used in various types of studies in place of rodent and non-rodent animal models. However, certain challenges related to the administration of drugs through various routes and the collection of organ tissue for analysis need to be focused for further technical improvement. In conclusion, zebrafish have developed into a crucial model organism in biomedical research, considerably advancing the knowledge of basic biology and the causes of disease. It serves as a pillar in the search for new therapeutic targets and drug discovery due to their genetic similarity to humans and simplicity of use in experimental settings.