Zebrafish in Biomedical Research and Drug Discovery

Many model organisms like yeast (Saccharomyces), Drosophila, zebrafish, mouse, rats, hamsters, rabbits, cat, chicken, monkey etc. are being used in biomedical research. Invertebrate models like yeast, Drosophila etc. are used to study genetic functions. On the other hand vertebrate model systems like mouse, rats, hamsters, rabbits, cat, chicken, monkey preferred models for research in diseased conditions when compared to invertebrate model organisms but vertebrate models are the more complex model systems. Zebrafish though a vertebrate with physiological and anatomical characteristics of higher organism it also provides the ease of use of a lower organisms. Hence zebrafish offers an important model system which can connect development, disease, and toxicological studies.