Tropical fish light up aquariums across the world with their exotic beauty – but could tropical fish hold the secret to curing disease?
Nature has always been a rich, fertile ground for medicine and science. The rainforest boats countless exotic plants known for their healing powers. But what about the sea? Tropical fish could hold the secret to degenerative disease according to a group of scientists in Australia.
Tropical Fish – A Scientific Investigation
Melbourne's Monash University recently opened the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute where scientists are looking into the link between tropical fish and degenerative disease. The Zebrafish is popular in many aquariums across Australia in homes and restaurants. And the Head of the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Professor Peter Currie, believes these tropical fish could offer crucial information for medical science.
The Internal Workings of Tropical Fish
The tropical fish's transparent embryo means anyone with an aquarium can witness the Zebrafish's internal workings. Scientists say it has an ability to regenerate its organs – if you cut the tip off one of its organs, such as the heart, it will regrow in a couple of months. This remarkable capacity could hold secrets for degenerative diseases in humans. The impact of investigating the regenerative capacities of the tropical fish could be massive for medical science. Especially when you consider the huge number of deaths humans suffer from because of organ failure, such as heart attacks.
Tropical Fish Could Help Human Muscular Dystrophy
Zebrafish are good at regenerating with their ability for muscle to repair itself. It may sound like something out of science fiction novels, but the tropical fish are said to have a 'souped-up type of stem cells' that can repair organs and systems for the tropical fish. Although human muscle is one of the human tissues that can repair itself (which is what we do to our muscles when we exercise) the tropical fish can repair muscle much better. The scientists are looking at the tropical fish to find out more about two degenerative diseases: muscular dystrophy, which is a fatal, genetic disease and congenital muscular dystrophy.
Tropical Fish: Hidden Depths
Tropical fish are magical sea creatures, and the research shows that there could be more hidden depths to the fish than just their aesthetic value in our aquariums. The scientists are currently screening drugs on the tropical fish to see if they can help prevent the onset of the muscular dystrophy conditions.
Looking for Tropical Fish? The Aquatic Store can Help
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