CNIC: U.S.-Netherlands Project Development for Research on the Zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a Toxicological Model Using Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Imaging Techniques

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This research visit will initiate a new collaboration between the P.I., Dr. John Berry, at Florida International University, and counterparts at laboratories in the Netherlands and Germany. Their goal is to develop cutting-edge techniques - based on principles of magnetic resonance, and the zebrafish as an aquatic animal model - for investigation of environmental toxicants, and specifically toxic metabolites derived from marine and freshwater "harmful algal bloom" (HAB) species. Aquatic animals, as "model systems," are fundamental tools to understanding environmental toxicants. Of these, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) has emerged as an important toxicological model for use in a wide range of relevant toxic compounds in the environment, including those associated with HABs. Magnetic resonance (MR) utilizes the inherent "magnetic spin" of atomic nuclei to selectively distinguish molecules of interest. When applied to living systems, MR is capable of high-resolution imaging as well as probing the uptake, fate and metabolism of molecules. The laboratory of the international partner, Dr. A. Alia, jointly housed at the University of Leiden, in the Netherlands, and at Leipzig University, in Germany, has recently developed MR imaging and spectroscopy techniques that are capable of visualization/imaging and quantifying metabolites in the zebrafish, including embryo, larval and adult stages. Accordingly, the plans for initiating this research will require obtaining initial data demonstrating the use of MR to investigate uptake, localization, and metabolism of several relevant HAB toxins in the zebrafish model. Finally, although this research planning visit by the P.I. and one U.S. graduate student will focus specifically on investigation of HAB toxins in the zebrafish system, the techniques to be jointly developed in the future have the potential to be transformative in the field of environmental toxicology, and if successful, the proposed approach may be applied to a wide range of environmental contaminants, such as industrial pollutants, oil spills, or toxic metals.