Antonio Planchart
Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA; Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
Carolyn J. Mattingly
Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA; Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
David Allen
Integrated Laboratory Systems, Inc., Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
Patricia Ceger
Integrated Laboratory Systems, Inc., Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
Warren Casey
National Toxicology Program Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
David Hinton
Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
Jyotshna Kanungo
National Center for Toxicological Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, AR, USA
Seth W. Kullman
Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA; Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
Tamara Tal
Integrated Systems Toxicology Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
Maria Bondesson
Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
Shawn M. Burgess
National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
Con Sullivan
Department of Molecular & Biomedical Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA
Carol Kim
Department of Molecular & Biomedical Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA
Mamta Behl
Division of National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
Stephanie Padilla
Integrated Systems Toxicology Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
David M. Reif
Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA; Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
Robert L. Tanguay
Department of Environmental & Molecular Toxicology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
Jon Hamm
Integrated Laboratory Systems, Inc., Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
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Abstract
Small freshwater fish models, especially zebrafish, offer advantages over traditional rodent models, including low maintenance and husbandry costs, high fecundity, genetic diversity, physiology similar to that of traditional biomedical models, and reduced animal welfare concerns. The Collaborative Workshop on Aquatic Models and 21st Century Toxicology was held at North Carolina State University on May 5-6, 2014, in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. Participants discussed the ways in which small fish are being used as models to screen toxicants and understand mechanisms of toxicity. Workshop participants agreed that the lack of standardized protocols is an impediment to broader acceptance of these models, whereas development of standardized protocols, validation, and subsequent regulatory acceptance would facilitate greater usage. Given the advantages and increasing application of small fish models, there was widespread interest in follow-up workshops to review and discuss developments in their use. In this article, we summarize the recommendations formulated by workshop participants to enhance the utility of small fish species in toxicology studies, as well as many of the advances in the field of toxicology that resulted from using small fish species, including advances in developmental toxicology, cardiovascular toxicology, neurotoxicology, and immunotoxicology. We also review many emerging issues that will benefit from using small fish species, especially zebrafish, and new technologies that will enable using these organisms to yield results unprecedented in their information content to better understand how toxicants affect development and health.
