Zebrafish and spinal cord injury
Featured on Channel 9 News – Zebrafish & Spinal Cord Injury (Sunday 6 October 2013)
This news story focused on how zebrafish may be the cure for spinal cord injury. Professor Peter Currie and Dr Yona Goldshmit, from the Australian Regenerative Medicine institute, were interviewed in response to how zebrafish may be the cure for spinal cord injury.
“My goal is to try and find a cure for spinal cord injuries.” – Dr Yona Goldshmit
What makes scientists so interested in zebrafish in regards to spinal paralysis is that they have a protein that builds a bridge over spinal injuries. They are able to regrow their nerves and restore full movement within two months.
As Professor Peter Currie points out in the news story, this is of significant interest to scientists. “We are interesting in studying the reason why they can do it [zebrafish] and why we cannot.”