Clear female zebrafish. Scientists have created a transparent fish that lets them see through its skin to watch the progression of disease in real time.
The fish, a breed Zebrafish named Casper, has granted researchers further insight into how diseases, especially cancer, act in living organisms, not just in a test tube or a dissected animal.
"It's the difference between watching a video and just seeing a snapshot," said Richard White, a clinical fellow in the Stem Cell Program at Children's Hospital Boston.
White created the new breed of Zebrafish, described in the Feb. 7 issue of Cell Stem Cell, a journal. White said he can read a newspaper through the transparent fish and see its beating heart as well as other organs.
In one experiment, White transplanted melanoma, or skin cancer, into the belly area of the fish. The cancer cells grew and within five days began to spread to the skin.
"It's like the cells know where they want to go," said White, suggesting the cells have some kind of homing mechanism. Smith said he plans to study ways to disrupt the cell's ability to find and grow in a new location.
The fish also can provide insight into stem cell transplants. Oncologists use blood-forming stem cells to rebuild healthy blood, but not all transplants are successful and "take."
White showed that the process can be observed in the new Zebrafish. He irradiated the fish's bone morrow and then transplanted fluorescent stem cells from another Zebrafish. Researchers can now more closely study stem cell transplants.
White created the new breed by mating two existing breeds. He mated a fish that lacks black pigment with one that lacks reflective pigment. The result is a fish with only yellow pigment, which looks clear.
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