Zebrafish Models of ASD and EED

Michel Bagnat of Duke University in the U.S. will study new genetic zebrafish models of acute secretory diarrhea and environmental enteric dysfunction, which are normally caused by infectious pathogens in humans, to study disease pathogenesis and facilitate development of new therapies. The zebrafish intestine has a similar physiology to the human organ, making zebrafish a valuable genetic model for studying human intestinal diseases. They have already isolated zebrafish mutants displaying characteristics of the relevant human diseases. They will identify the specific genetic defects underlying these diseases in the zebrafish, and characterize their functions, as well as establishing quantitative assays for future screening efforts.