Genetically modified Zebra danios are being used to study the debilitating Motor Neurone Disease (MND), says The Age.
Researchers at the Howard Florey Institute Melbourne, Australia, are using genetically modified danios containing a gene which causes the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a form of MND which normally affects middle-aged people.
The GM fish will allow scientists to research potential drug candidates to tackle the disease. Zebra fish have the advantage that their organs and systems are similar to those of humans and they allow new drugs to be trialled much more quickly.