CaringCalm.org

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • All Topics
    • Adoption
    • Advocacy
    • Assistive Technology
    • Behavior
    • Braille and Literacy
    • Communication
    • Conferences and Fundraising
    • Eye Conditions and Syndromes
    • Feeding and Eating
    • Fine and Gross Motor
    • Giveaways
    • Growth and Development
    • Helpful Organizations
    • Holiday Crafts and Ideas
    • IEPs and Education
    • iPad Apps and Accessibility
    • Light Play
    • Math and Science
    • Medicine
    • Music Play
    • Orientation and Mobility
    • Parenting
    • Research Studies
    • Schools for the Blind
    • Sensory Activities
    • Sleep Solutions
    • Support
    • Tactile Art
    • Toys and Recreation

How one tiny fish may help us find a cure for blindness

zebrafish
 

In research, scientists use animal models to test their theories when looking for cures to human diseases. They’ve used mice for generations, but mice have limitations in research. Many scientists are now using zebrafish in their research.

Why zebrafish? Good question!

 

  • Zebrafish, believe it or not, are actually very closely related to us genetically
  • Zebrafish retinas are very similar to human retinas
  • They call zebrafish a “living test tube” and use the fish to screen new drugs just by adding the medications to the water in the tank
  • Zebrafish embryos are transparent, so scientists can actually watch stem cells as they form
  • They also have very fast life cycles (moving from a single-cell egg to a hatched baby fish in only five days), making them a quick study producing a lot of data over a short period of time
  • Zebrafish can also regenerate their own tissue (like a lizard who can regrow a lost tail), but in zebrafish they can even regenerate parts of damaged organs

 

At the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center, they are studying the visual system of the zebrafish. What they want to figure out is how the fish is capable of repairing damage to their visual system and then take that information and apply it to degenerative retinal diseases, optic nerve damage and other blindness causing diseases in humans. They want to be able to “harness the patient’s own body to repair itself.”

Zebrafish are a perfect model to study how genes affect eye development. For example, we know that the gene CYP1B1 can cause juvenile glaucoma, but no one really understands how CYP1B1 is related to eye development. Unlocking that mystery could also lead to a cure.

 

zebrafish retina

Development of a single zebrafish retina captured on a light sheet microscope by IchaJaroslav


 

Combining the gene editing tool CRISPR-Cas with the fast life cycle of zebrafish also gives scientists a real-time way to study the development of the retina and retinal cells, particularly looking at whether or not retinal cells in humans can be regenerated.

Dr. Hitchcock, one of the researchers at Kellogg Eye Center, says that “while all of these studies are pre-clinical, stem cell therapy is clearly on the horizon in ophthalmology.”

Learn more about how Kellogg Eye Center is using zebrafish to study eye diseases in humans in this article, Studying the Zebrafish or watch the video below:

 

 

How one tiny fish may help us find a cure for blindness
 

Jul 4, 2017Amber Bobnar
What are your thoughts?

The search for a treatment for LCA10-CEP290WonderBaby T-Shirts!
You Might Also Like
10 Things you feel when you’re considering brain surgery for your child
The search for a treatment for LCA10-CEP290
Amber Bobnar

I'm mom to Ivan and founder of WonderBaby.org

3 years ago Medicine
1866
Find us on…

Facebook Pinterest Twitter Instagram


How to organize your IEP paperwork
Most Popular Posts
Ivan with his touch book

Make Your Own Touch Book!

16788
A stubborn toddler doing potty training

How to Potty Train a Stubborn Toddler

14697
Ivan playing on his iPad

5 Ways to Get a Free iPad for Your Special Needs Child!

13332
braille blocks, puzzles and buttons

25 Braille Toys for Kids Who are Blind

12662
sleeping Ivan

Help! My Baby Won’t Sleep!

11108

About
WonderBaby.org

WonderBaby.org is dedicated to helping parents of young children with visual impairments as well as children with multiple disabilities. Learn more.

Keep in Touch

Contacting WonderBaby.org is easy! Just send a message to the email below or reach out through social media. Hope to hear from you soon!

Facebook Pinterest Twitter Instagram

Email: help@wonderbaby.org

Learn More

Learn more about our family, our website and how you can become part of the WonderBaby.org team!

  • Our Story
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • WonderBaby.org Printable Flyer
  • Advertise with Us
  • Accessibility Options
Translations

At WonderBaby.org we are here to support parents and caregivers of young children who are blind all over the world!

  • Arabic Resources: مصادر عربية
  • Spanish Resources: Recursos en Español
  • Dutch Resources: Informatie in het Nederlands

Learn more about our translations.

© 2006-2020 WonderBaby.org • PO Box 682 Watertown MA 02471 USA