Innovation Anthology #183:
The new hero in the fight against mad cow and chronic wasting disease could very well be the tiny zebra fish.
Popular as pets, zebra fish are proving useful in the lab, just like fruit flies and transgenic mice. They reproduce quickly and their genes are easy to manipulate.
Dr. Ted Allison is developing a zebra fish model for use in his work with the Alberta Prion Research Institute.
DR. TED ALLISON: The main purposes are to try to define the normal role of the prion protein in a healthy brain and compare that to what the protein is doing in a diseased brain. So because zebra fish have a lot of advantages as a model, we’re able to modify the genes easily. So we’re able to knock down gene expression or make transgenic fish gene to increase expression. It means we can alter proteins that we expect to be related to prion protein and interact with prion protein.
According to Dr. Ted Allision, a new phenotype has emerged. When prion protein levels are knocked down in zebra fish, their brains fail to develop properly. This phenotype does not persist in mice. And the discovery is an important step towards better understanding prion function.
Thanks today Alberta Ingenuity.
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I’M CHERYL CROUCHER
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Alberta Ingenuity
Established in 2000, the Alberta Ingenuity Fund supports science and engineering research of the highest calibre, to create a prosperous future for the province of Alberta. It draws funding from a $1 billion endowment established in 2000 and managed by the Government of Alberta to build the capacity for innovation, especially in areas with long lasting social and economic impact.
Among its many programs, Alberta Ingenuity supports graduate students and university researchers, industrial research and commercialization partnerships, and has established several Centres and Institutes.
In January 2010, under the new Alberta Innovation Framework, Alberta Ingenuity was restructured and absorbed in the new agency Alberta Innovates Technology Solutions.
Program Date: 2008-11-11