Zebrafish: A Versatile and Efficient Animal Model for Cancer Research

Zebrafish offer a great platform for investigating important cancer-related pathways, such as those involving oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, because they have about 70% of human genes conserved. The great fertility and quick development of zebrafish embryos and larvae allow for large-scale, economical research, and they provide special benefits including transparency for real-time monitoring of tumor progression, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Transgenic models, which replicate particular genetic alterations seen in human tumors, and xenograft models, in which human cancer cells are implanted into zebrafish to test treatment efficacy and tumor behavior, are two examples of use in anticancer research. Studies on chemically driven tumorigenesis are additionally backed by zebrafish, which offer information on the development and spread of tumors. Zebrafish have recently emerged as an appealing option in personalized medicine, as customized medication testing and therapy optimization are made possible by patient-derived xenografts. Zebrafish models have drawbacks despite their many advantages, including variations in drug metabolism and the development of the immune system in larvae. However, their usefulness is still being increased by developments in immunocompetent mice, genetic engineering, and imaging technology. Zebrafish have enormous potential for speeding up the development of novel anticancer medications, revealing the biology of tumors, and improving precision oncology as a supplementary system to conventional mammalian models.