Realizing the potential of zebrafish as a model for human disease

The value of the zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model for human disease has b een substantiated by a number of recently published papers. Several zebrafi sh mutants with "human'' diseases have been found, spanning a variety of hu man pathologies. These successful studies utilizing the zebrafish have been made possible by the development of key reagents such as YAC, PAC, and BAC libraries, as well as radiation hybrid panels. With the further establishm ent of new tools and access to the newly generated resources, the zebrafish is poised to serve as a novel model for human disease.