Evaluating Toxicity of Chemicals using a Zebrafish Vibration Startle Response Screening System

When screening chemicals for toxicity, a current experimental challenge is the determination of toxic effects in vivo, taking into account the complexity of a whole organism, and to do this in a rapid high-throughput manner. By using a behavioral readout that monitors the escape response of zebrafish embryos to a vibration stimulus, our system allows us to identify compounds that interfere with neural or muscular function. Because dead embryos don't move, we also capture compounds that cause lethality by unspecific toxicity.

The system we present can be built for a modest price and is customizable. It is also easy to maintain and all pieces can be replaced. We are currently employing the startle assay system within the PrecisionTox Consortium to determine a chemical compound dose for OMICS data acquisition.

The data are generated across five model organisms and human cell lines. They will be used to derive toxicity pathways and biomarkers for human toxicity prediction.