Using zebrafish to discover medicines for brain haemorrhage

Studying biological changes after a specific type of stroke to identify potential treatments.

Spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) is a type of stroke, which is caused by bleeding in the brain, ultimately leading to brain damage, disability and often death. Unfortunately, other than lowering blood pressure, no specific medicines are currently available for patients.

To assist scientists and doctors with their research, animal models of ICH are required to study the biological changes that occur straight after the bleed and to test new drugs.

Unlike mice, which are commonly used in stroke research, young zebrafish (also called larvae) are transparent, meaning that we can very easily observe living brain cells under a powerful microscope.

Why funding is needed

We are continuing to use our zebrafish to study how ACE-inhibitors, and other drugs, may interact with cells and molecules in the brain to offer protection. We are also continuing to screen for more potentially protective drugs.

We currently have four PhD students and a postdoctoral researcher using zebrafish for brain haemorrhage research. We hold up to 100 tanks of different strains of zebrafish that are necessary for this programme of work. The costs for maintaining and feeding these fish are expensive, and additional funding is required to assist with our research.

With £10,000, we will be able to maintain all our fish for one year, allowing us to continue to make exciting new discoveries that we hope will lead to the development of new medical treatments for intracerebral haemorrhage.

How researchers are investigating ICH

Over the past few years, work in our lab has shown that we can cause spontaneous ICH in zebrafish larvae, and that the brain cells and molecules of these fish react to bleeding in the same way as the human brain.

Furthermore, we have tested over 2,000 drugs in these fish and found some that can protect the zebrafish brain after ICH.

One of our most exciting results is the discovery that ACE-inhibitors can reduce brain damage when given after ICH. As many people take ACE-inhibitors to control their blood pressure, we are now working with clinicians to see if there is an association between ACE-inhibitor use and better outcomes after ICH.

Contact us

If you have any questions, please email us at GJBRC@manchester.ac.uk.