Zebrafish housing unit and biosafety cabinet

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Zebrafish is an excellent model organism to study developmental and physiological processes and to investigate events related to human diseases. We have been using zebrafish to explore how hormones and growth factors regulate reproduction, particularly egg development and maturation. We would like to use zebrafish as a model to study how ovarian cancer cells invade other tissues and organs and to examine the functions of genes in blood vessel formation. In this proposal, funding is requested to purchase a stand-alone zebrafish housing rack system and a biosafety cabinet. The housing system is equipped with filters and ultra-violet sterilizers, as well as control and monitoring system to ensure optimal water quality. This provides a healthy and comfortable environment for zebrafish. A biosafety cabinet is required to protect researchers from potential biohazardous agents when perform experimental procedure and to keep the cell and tissue cultures free from potential contaminations. These instruments will allow us to conduct innovative research that will not only enhance our understanding on how reproductive functions are controlled, but also have potential clinical applications.