Texas State University geneticists Yuan Lu and Manfred Schartl have received a $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to advance research using Xiphophorus fish to study human disease. Lu and Schartl will lead the project, titled "Advancement of the Xiphophorus Model for Studying Disease."
Xiphophorus are freshwater fish, commonly known as platyfish and swordtails. The Institute for Molecular Life Sciences at Texas State houses 24 of the 26 known Xiphophorus species and provides fish and research materials to scientists at the university and elsewhere. According to a news release, natural genetic differences among the fish can produce traits that resemble human diseases, including cancer, obesity, and neurological and developmental disorders, yet the fish often remain healthy. Researchers can study that contrast to identify biological processes that protect the animals.
Lu said the award will help the team continue disease-related research and build on earlier melanoma work with the model. She said the project will explore new questions in neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases. The grant is also meant to make the model easier for other scientists to access.