Zebrafish studies reveal new liver cancer insights

Scientists have been able to conduct new research utilising zebrafish to gain insight into the most common form of liver cancer.

A National University of Singapore team have utilised genetically modified fish to broaden understanding of the role played by the cellular pathway Ras in causing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with results published in the journal Disease Models and Mechanisms.

Examining the animal models provided the researchers with data on the level of Ras pathway activation required to cause HCC, as well as other cellular pathways associated with the condition.

This investigation has demonstrated that zebrafish are an effective and affordable research model for use in the study of a poorly-understood disease.

It has also produced data that could lead to the development of a genetic signature for the deadly cancer type.

According to data from the British Liver Trust, HCC is the sixth most common cancer type in the world and is particularly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia.