Dr Love's zebrafish

Dr Don Love and his team at Auckland University are using zebrafish to investigate heritable diseases like Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

He met with Year 13 Biology students to discuss his work and some of the techniques commonly used in his laboratory.

Watch clips of Dr Love explaining:

What makes zebrafish good models for some human diseases – and not others
Genes, chromosomes and genomes – and what you need to know in order to create a targeted gene effect
The importance of PCR and DNA sequencing in identifying fish with a specific mutation
Why the future represents a ‘new dawn’ in biological research
Careers prospects for geneticists in New Zealand

To find out more about Don’s work, get the Hub’s information sheet: Zebrafish make a difference.

Participating students were from:

Video clips

Why zebrafish? (V0246)

Animal models are often needed to understand the complexity of disease and to find treatments.

Duration: 0:51
But it's a fish! (V0250)

The great race between mice and fish.

Duration: 0:34
Are zebrafish good models? (V0251)

There's a big difference between them and us!

Duration: 0:34
Insults equal change (V0247)

But it's probably not what you're thinking...

Duration: 1:21
Designing genetic change (V0248)

There's a lot you need to know!

Duration: 1:22
Checking for mutations (V0249)

Sometimes it is necessary for scientists to deliberately cause mutations.

Duration: 2:37
It's not just genes (V0252)

The human genome contains more than 3,000 million base pairs.

Duration: 1:47
The road is long (with many a winding turn...) (V0252a)

What have been the implications of the mapping of the human genome?

Duration: 0:53
Research funding (V0253)

He's not it in for the money — and that might be a good thing!

Duration: 0:52
Career prospects in genetics (V0254)

Thinking of a career in genetics?

Duration: 0:54