PHENOSFISH PLATFORM

Psychoactive molecules are essential tools for treating CNS disorders and exploring nervous system function. However, the lack of accurate in vivo tests has limited the discovery of novel psychoactive drugs over the last decades.

The platform, an automated motility recording system adapted for zebrafish embryos, allows the identification of in vivo novel psychoactive molecules.

It is based on high-intensity light stimulus which elicits a stereotypical series of motor behaviours in zebrafish embryos, the photomotor response (PMR). Interestingly, diverse classes of psychoactive molecules induce distinct, quantifiable and highly reproducible modifications of the PMR. PMR analysis can therefore be used to classify psychoactive drugs according to their activity.

Applications : 

• Pathophysiology and neuroprotection in brain damage
• Cellular and molecular mechanisms of Central Nervous System (CNS) differentiation
• Neurodegenerative diseases and therapeutic approaches
• Zebrafish models of human neurodegenerative diseases (eg. Friedreich’s ataxia, Parkinson’s disease)

Scientific expertise : 

• Psychoactive molecules
• Drugs screening and profiling (classification, toxicity, molecular targets, etc.)
• Recognized know-how with zebrafish
  Simple protocol with unambiguous output

Keywords : Eco-toxicology, Fetal development, Genetic disorder, Human pathology, Animal model, zebra fish