Cuba inaugurated zebrafish laboratory for neurological studies
HAVANA, Sep 13 Starting today, Cuba has a zebrafish laboratory, which will contribute to further studies in the Caribbean country on ischemia, dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.The announcement was made by the Drug Research and Development Center (Cidem) through a message on the social network Twitter.
“Zebra Fish Laboratory for the study of neurological diseases was inaugurated in Cidem Cuba,” the scientific institution reported.
Dr. Yanier Núñez, project leader and director of the Experimental Neuropharmacology laboratory at Cidem, highlighted the impact of this line of research on the study of innovative molecules.
Previously, he explained that the idea arose from the need to use an intermediate alternative between in vitro models, that is, cells and mammals, in the early phases of research —related to drugs or products.
After this stage passes —he commented— an ethics committee can justify the use of rodents, rabbits or dogs in research.
“If we want to register products in the first world, we have to carry out the investigations considering the way in which they are carried out at this level, having an intermediate stage in the investigation between cells and rodents, or other species”, argued Núñez.
The advantages of using zebrafish are multiple, as they are easy to maintain in our current conditions.
It is a species that is quite close to human pathology since it shares 75 percent of its genes with humans and up to 85 percent in pathological conditions.
We will have to induce the disease in the fish, and then evaluate if it behaved well or badly, he specified.
“With these fish, we could further accelerate the research stages,” said the scientist quoted by the newspaper Trabajadores.
