18 November 2008
Monash University has established the largest zebra fish research facility in the Southern Hemisphere.
The multi-million dollar aquarium, housing thousands of the six-centimetre-long tropical fish in 6500 tanks, could help researchers find better treatments for incurable diseases such as muscular dystrophy and heart disease.
Victorian Innovation Minister Gavin Jennings today officially opened the $5.4 million facility, located within Monash University's Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI) at the University's Clayton campus.
Zebra fish have become one of the key research models for scientists because of the species' distant genetic connection to humans and their ability to regenerate muscles and other organs. They are native to parts of India and commonly found in home aquariums across Australia, Japan and the United States.
ARMI Deputy Director Professor Peter Currie said the new facility would place Monash at the forefront of regenerative medicine research in Australia and across the world.
"Fossilised fish relics show that humans evolved from fish and at a genetic and developmental level, there are still many similarities," Professor Currie said.
"The zebra fish has become one of the most important model organisms to study biological processes in vivo. The species allow us to study how genes control embryonic development. This research has the potential to solve some of the questions surrounding human diseases that are couched in genetic make up."
Professor Currie said one of the key areas of research was in determining how muscles grow and develop. Zebra fish have a very similar muscle development program to humans -- yet they are better at repairing damaged muscle tissue.
"Zebra fish can not only repair damaged tissue like humans, but they can go far further, regenerating new muscle fibres, such as skin, fins, the heart and in the larval stage, the brain," Professor Currie said.
"The long term research goal is to learn how to help people with muscle wasting disease or who have lost or damaged muscle through injury. Heart attack survivors could also benefit, because their damaged heart muscle could be regenerated.
"We will take it one step at a time. I am confident, given the enormous support the University has invested in the research team, that we will make discoveries that will advance medical science."
For more information or to arrange an interview, contact Samantha Blair, Media and Communications + 61 3 9903 4841 or mobile 0439 013 951.
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