Zebra fish may help cure cancer

THERE ARE 40 laboratories in the country which are testing and researching on cell biology in the zebra fish. The results are estimated to be close to human’s in zebra fish testing.

OTHER DEPARTMENTS are studying the neurological problems to understand mental health, microbacterium TB and embryology to estimate the division and growth of cells.

Treatment for cancerous tumours in terms of which drugs will work on the patient can be assessed in experimenting in the zebra fish which are a lot like humans, according to scientists at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology

There are 40 laboratories in the country which are testing and researching on cell biology in the zebra fish. The results have been found to be close to that of human's in zebra fish testing models than in the mouse model.

The various cells that have been documented are shown to work on cancerous tumours too.

Dr Meghna Kumar, scientist who is heading the department for experimenting with zebra fish, said, “Presently, the cell line for breast cancer tumours have been used in zebra fish. We are closely monitoring the fishes to understand the impact of various drugs.”

Similarly, other depart- ments of the institute are studying the neurological problems to understand mental health, microbacterium TB and also embryology in an effort to estimate the division and growth of cells.

The scientists are optimistic that working with the zebra fish will help them co-relate and work on effective models which can be made applicable at the hospital level.