The LCSB is using zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a vertebrate model organism to study diseases of the central nervous system. The aquatic facility consists of a modern, semi-automated facility that provides husbandry and embryo production services to support biomedical research and teaching activities. Currently, the facility can house up to 30.000 adult zebrafish, offering robotic feeding, maintenance of constant micro-environmental conditions (e.g. pH, temperature and conductivity), and semi-automated cleaning systems that ensure excellent conditions for research quality and animal welfare. Among its services, the Aquatic Facility offers the generation of zebrafish disease models using morpholino antisense technology and CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis, as well as pharmacological models and reporter lines using Tol2 transgenesis. Moreover, the platform offers the performance of small molecule screens in zebrafish disease models and reporter lines, as well as toxicity screens for drug safety assessment. So far, around 10 international investigators have been trained in our facility to successfully use zebrafish in their research, and implement technologies in their host institutions.

For any questions, do not hesitate to contact the aquatic facility via email.