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

这次研究访问将启动一个新的合作之间的PI，佛罗里达国际大学的约翰·贝瑞博士以及荷兰和德国实验室的同行。 他们的目标是开发尖端技术-基于磁共振原理和斑马鱼作为水生动物模型-用于调查环境毒物，特别是来自海洋和淡水“有害藻华”（HAB）物种的有毒代谢物。 水生动物作为“模式系统”，是理解环境毒物的基本工具。 其中，斑马鱼（Danio rerio）已成为一种重要的毒理学模型，用于环境中广泛的相关有毒化合物，包括与有害生物有关的化合物。 磁共振（MR）利用原子核的固有“磁自旋”来选择性地区分感兴趣的分子。当应用于生命系统时，MR能够进行高分辨率成像以及探测分子的摄取、命运和代谢。 国际合作伙伴的实验室，A。阿利亚，共同居住在莱顿大学，在荷兰，莱比锡大学，在德国，最近开发了磁共振成像和光谱技术，能够可视化/成像和量化代谢物在斑马鱼，包括胚胎，幼虫和成年阶段。 因此，启动这项研究的计划将需要获得初步的数据，证明使用MR调查吸收，定位和代谢的几个相关的有害藻华毒素在斑马鱼模型。 最后，虽然这个研究计划访问的私人侦探。一名美国研究生将专门研究斑马鱼系统中的有害藻华毒素，未来联合开发的技术有可能在环境毒理学领域产生变革性影响，如果成功，所提出的方法可能适用于广泛的环境污染物，如工业污染物，石油泄漏或有毒金属。

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.