Zebrafish Research: Activities at the NIH
Published in The Zebrafish Science Monitor, Vol. 5 (June 15, 1998)
Over the past few years, it has become apparent that the zebrafish as a model
of vertebrate development and disease has received increased attention by the
scientific community, primarily because of its value in both experimental and
genetic analyses. While small groups of researchers have been working with
Danio rerio for many years, the increase in the number of investigators
using this model in recent years prompted the NIH to become more involved in
assisting its development Early in 1997, a workshop, sponsored by several NIH
Institutes was held by members of the zebrafish community in order to assess the
state of the science relating to the zebrafish as a model genome system. This
group presented a report to the Director of the NIH, in spring, 1997, with the
recommendation to develop the zebrafish system for genetic studies of vertebrate
embryogenesis and disease. In response to these recommendations, the Director
of the NIH formed the Trans-NIH Zebrafish Coordinating Committee which first met
in the fall of 1997. This working group is composed of representatives from most
of NIH's Institutes and Centers having an interest in promoting zebrafish as a
research model. The Committee is co-chaired by Dr. Josephine Briggs of the
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and Dr. Tyl
Hewitt of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Activities by this group have been substantial. The initial effort of this
group resulted in a Request for Applications (RFA) as part of an effort
to create resources that will facilitate the mapping and positional cloning of
genes in the zebrafish. The RFA (DK-98-006) was published in December 1997, and
applications will be reviewed in July 1998. Successful applications will be
funded by fall, 1998. This effort is being co-sponsored by 12 Institutes and
Centers.
Most recently, the Coordinating Committee published a Program Announcement
(PA), soliciting investigator-initiated applications using the zebrafish as a
model for development and disease research. The objectives of this PA are to
encourage and promote new and innovative research and approaches to identify the
genes and elucidate the molecular and genetic mechanisms responsible for normal
and defective development using the zebrafish as the animal model. This PA
(HD-98-074) was published in the May 21, 1998 issue of the NIH Guide. A total
of 18 Institutes and Centers are participating in this endeavor. Each of the
participating Institutes and Centers has interests in using the zebrafish as a
model system to better understand particular processes, organs, or diseases.
In addition, some may be interested in supporting development of methods, either
general techniques or techniques that may particularly apply to their areas of
interest. Please contact the appropriate program official listed on the PA
with questions. The receipt dates for this PA are the same as for any R01
application. The URL of this PA is
http://www.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-98-074.html
In addition, Institutes participating in the Coordinating Committee are
assisting in the support of a Zebrafish Resource Center, overseen by National
Center for Research Resources, that will act as a stock center for the maintenance
and distribution of zebrafish mutants to the scientific community as well as to
provide state-of-the-art informational resources via the world wide web.
These initiatives represent one of the most coordinated and unified efforts
on the part of the NIH to support research using a single animal model. This
indicates an appreciation of the importance of zebrafish as a model for
development by the funding components of the NIH. It is important to understand,
however, that the peer review system is another important link in the funding
process. As the number of applications using zebrafish increases, it is
important that members of the zebrafish scientific community understand the need
for them to participate as reviewers in this system. Active participation in
the review process not only will enlighten their colleagues using other model
systems, but also will ensure that the expertise is available on study sections
for the fair and appropriate review of zebrafish research grant applications.
The Trans-NIH Zebrafish Coordinating Committee will continue to meet on a
regular basis. We welcome your suggestions, comments and concerns. Please
contact us and let us know how the NIH can be of help in the future.
Deborah B. Henken (dh50g@nih.gov)
for the Trans-NIH Zebrafish Coordinating Committee |