Zebrafish, a Model Organism

The zebrafish recently emerged as a powerful new model organism for biomedical research. Since young zebrafish are transparent, scientists can now see some of the most crucial life processes as they happen. Many biomedical breakthroughs owe their discovery to advances in the tools and methods scientists use, especially model organisms. Studying most questions in humans is neither practical nor feasible, which is why using such model organisms as the zebrafish is vital to discovery—and has been for hundreds of years.

Francesca Tuazon will discuss the history of model organisms and the technological advances afforded by using zebrafish. This talk will also delve into one of life’s biggest mysteries and science’s oldest questions: how do we become what we are?



About the Speaker
Working to complete a PhD in cell and molecular biology at the University of Pennsylvania, with a focus on developmental, stem-cell, and regenerative biology, Francesca Tuazon is interested in the mechanisms that regulate dynamic signaling events in both time and space. She wants to use developmental models that can uncover broader regulatory mechanisms applicable to disease, especially those in which developmental pathways are reactivated, such as in cancer.

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