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. Lu is an assistant professor and associate director of the Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, and Schartl is a scholar in residence at the institute.
Xiphophorus are freshwater fish commonly known as platyfish and swordtails. The institute houses 24 of the 26 known species, along with genetic lines and hybrids. Lu said 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.
According to the university, the grant will make the model easier for other scientists to use. The team plans to standardize data on the fish, link it to public research platforms, and develop cell models and genetic tools. Collaborators include researchers at the University of Missouri, UT Health San Antonio, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The project will also offer undergraduate and graduate students lab-based and computational research opportunities.