Muscle Development and Disease
The lab is interested in understanding the process of cardiac and skeletal muscle formation and the diseases that result from disruption of this process. We utilise the advantages of the zebrafish model system, including in vivo imaging and a combination of forward and reverse genetic approaches, to try to understand the mechanism by which the complex architecture of the muscle is patterned.
Similarly by identifying zebrafish in which the phenotype recapitulates human muscle disease we can investigate the mechanism by which these mutations result in disease, an important step towards better management and treatment.
3D and 4D Imaging of Embryonic Development
In order to get a complete understanding of the mechanisms of development it is necessary to observe the process as it occurs and therefore we are developing and applying tools for the three and four-dimensional analysis of embryonic development. These tools inlcude 3D and 4D confocal microscopy, optical projection tomography, and x-ray tomography.
FishNet
In order to provide an anatomical resource for the zebrafish we developed FishNet, an online anatomical reference for zebrafish larval development. Using the technique of optical projection tomography we have created three-dimensional models of larval zebrafish from 24 hours to adulthood. Once a 3D model has been created it may be virtually sectioned in any plane or rendered to give a representation of the 3D organization of the sample. This allows a complete series of sections in multiple planes to be created from a single sample.
Using this method we have created a database of zebrafish larval development. This database contains over 30,000 images of sections; over 1000 of these being annotated, allowing the user to virtually section the models interactively. In addition to the section images we also have 3D rendered images of the fish that may be manipulated on screen. The database is available from the Fishnet website.
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