Technological monitoring perspective: zebrafish as a model in alcohol-related disease research

Objective: To collect and analyze patent documents related to zebrafish as an animal model for alcohol-related diseases (liver diseases, heart diseases, cancer, and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders - FASD) based on WHO definitions. Methods: A descriptive, quantitative, and qualitative technological monitoring study was conducted using national and international patent databases. The documents were analyzed by alcohol-affected organ, animal model, legal status, type of applicant, and temporal and geographic distributions, presented by figures and tables. Results: Out of 2,166 patents identified, 13 met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 54% were in the application stage, and 46% had been granted. Most patents were filed by companies, with dominant IPC codes A61K (medical preparations) and A61P (therapeutic activities). Liver diseases accounted for 71.43% of the patents, followed by FASD (21.43%) and liver cancer (7.14%). Zebrafish was the primary model in 11 patents; two used rats but mentioned zebrafish as an alternative. Conclusion: Zebrafish use in alcohol-related disease research is emerging, primarily focused on liver diseases.