Predicting effects of exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model for long-term genetic and demographic effects
Scientific relevance
Zebrafish provides the basis for our models for two main reasons. Firstly, environmental pollutants are a threat to health and food safety. Marine products represent a major source of POPs intake among humans. Secondly, experimental methods and procedures for zebrafish research are well documented, and rapid advances in gene manipulation technologies offer powerful strategies to establish a link between a gene and its function both on the individual level and on the population level.
Aim of the task
The persistence of POPs in the environment and their increasing levels in fish, wildlife and humans, is a vast and complex problem. In this project we study the dynamics of this process and the possible consequences for environmental health of their bioaccumulation in tissues. We also study the effects on endocrine regulated functions such as development and reproduction.