SINGAPORE SCIENTISTS USE ZEBRAFISH TO STUDY PARKINSON'S DISEASE

By Zakaria Abdul Wahab

SINGAPORE, April 23 (Bernama) -- Singapore scientists have recently
developed a zebrafish model for Parkinson's disease that could be used for
understanding the mechanism underlying its development.

The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) said Friday the
knowledge gained would be helpful for future screening of new drugs to treat the
disease.

The study, conducted by scientists at the Genome Institute of Singapore
(GIS), an A*STAR biomedical research institute, showed that zebrafish, a
tropical freshwater fish that could often be found in aquariums, could be used
to study the development of human diseases, A*STAR said in a statement.

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disease of the brain that often
impairs motor skills, speech and other functions.

"This work shows how the use of a simple model system in fish can help
decipher the root causes of a serious human disorder like Parkinson's disease,"
said Professor Edison Liu, Executive Director of the GIS.
-- BERNAMA


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