>> THIS IS NOT A COMPUTER-GENERATED MODEL OF AN
ALIEN CREATURE FOR THE NEXT HOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTER.
WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS VERY MUCH EARTHBOUND AND ALIVE.
SO THIS FISH IS ALIVE, RIGHT?
>> YES.
>> OKAY.
>> YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THOSE VASCULAR CELLS CIRCULATING.
>> LOOK CLOSELY.
THERE'S THE BEATING HEART.
THERE'S THE BLOOD CIRCULATING.
WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IS A 7-DAY-OLD ZEBRAFISH UNDER THE
MACROSCOPE.
AND IT TURNS OUT THIS FRESHWATER FISH FROM THE SLOW STREAMS AND
RICE PADDIES OF INDIA PLAYS A VITAL PART IN THE RESEARCH INTO
HUMAN DISEASE.
>> SO HE, LIKE, DRAW AGAIN THE VESSELS, AND WE CAN, YOU KNOW,
GO HERE AND HAVE THE EXACT DIAMETER.
SO THEN WE COMBINE THOSE PICTURES AND CALCULATE THE AREA
OF THE VASCULAR FIELD, ALSO THE AVASCULAR FIELD.
>> YOU CAN SEE IF THE VESSELS ARE GROWING OR IT'S NOT GROWING
OR -- >> YEAH, YEAH, EXACTLY.
>> ZEBRAFISH ARE IMPORTANT TO RESEARCHERS BECAUSE IN THE FIRST
FEW DAYS OF LIFE THE PROGRESS OF DEVELOPMENT FROM EGG TO EMBRYO
IS THE SAME FOR BOTH ZEBRAFISH AND HUMANS.
ADD TO THAT ZEBRAFISH EGGS ARE CLEAR AND GROW OUTSIDE OF THE
MOTHER'S BODY, SO SCIENTISTS CAN WATCH THE CELLS DIVIDE AND FORM
DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE BODY.
THEY CAN SEE WHAT HAPPENS TO THE FISH IF A CELL IS REMOVED OR
DESTROYED.
RESEARCHERS CAN ALSO MEASURE THE EFFECTS OF DRUG THERAPY.
HERE AT THE NORTH CAROLINA RESEARCH CAMPUS, SCIENTISTS FROM
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY AND NORTH CAROLINA
A&T UNIVERSITY ARE USING ZEBRAFISH TO BETTER UNDERSTAND
DISEASES AND THERAPIES.
>> EXACTLY.
FOR EXAMPLE, WITH GINGER, THIS IS AMAZING.
>> LET'S TALK THERAPIES FIRST USING A PRETTY COMMON SPICE --
GINGER.
THERE'S GINGER TEA, PROCESSED GINGER, AND FRESH GINGER ROOT.
THE SPICE HAS BEEN USED FOR CENTURIES TO CALM UPSET
STOMACHS, BUT EARLY RESULTS SHOW THAT GINGER MAY TREAT SEVERAL
DISEASES.
HOWEVER, NOT ALL GINGER IS THE SAME.
>> LIKE FOR GINGER, AND THERE ARE FRESH GINGER AND DRY GINGER,
BUT THE -- THE ACTIVE COMPOUND, THE COMPOUND IN FRESH GINGER AND
DRY GINGER ARE DIFFERENT.
>> OH.
>> YEAH.
SO NOT SO PEOPLE ARE NOT AWARE OF THE DIFFERENCE.
>> THE BIOCOMPOUNDS FOUND IN FRESH GINGER, CALLED GINGEROLS,
APPEAR TO IMPROVE BLOOD CIRCULATION AND HELP TREAT
ANEMIA BY SPEEDING UP THE DEVELOPMENT OF BLOOD VESSELS AND
RED BLOOD CELLS.
>> IT INCREASES THE NUMBER OF BLOOD PARTICLES.
IT INCREASES THE FLOW RATE.
IT IS GOOD FOR THE -- FOR THE FUTURE RESEARCH IN HUMAN ANEMIC
PATIENTS.
>> HOWEVER, THE BIOCOMPOUNDS IN PROCESSED GINGER,
CALLED SHOGAOLS, SEEM TO AID IN CANCER PREVENTION.
RESEARCHERS WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE CHEMICAL PROFILES OF EACH
TYPE OF GINGER AND HOW THE BODY PROCESSES THEM.
THAT WILL DETERMINE HOW MUCH GINGER A PERSON WOULD NEED TO
EAT OR HOW IT WOULD NEED TO BE FORMULATED TO GAIN THE MOST
BENEFIT.
>> SO, YOU KNOW, THE DIFFERENT PREPARATIONS IS DIFFERENT.
SO GINGER IS NOT JUST GINGER.
IT ALL DEPENDS, YOU KNOW, THE PREPARATION OF THE GINGER
PRODUCT.
>> SO NOW -- >> AND THE TINY ZEBRAFISH IS KEY
TO IT ALL.
THAT GREEN MIXTURE IS FOOD FOR ZEBRAFISH.
GINGER CAN BE ADDED TO THE WATER.
THE ZEBRAFISH GRADUALLY CONSUME IT.
SCIENTISTS RECORD THE EFFECTS.
>> AND YOU CAN TRANSPLANT HUMAN CANCER CELL INTO THE FISH,
AND THEN YOU CAN SEE HOW THE FISH INTERACTING WITH THE BLOOD
VESSEL.
>> NOW LET'S TALK DISEASE.
AND WE NEED TO GO BACK TO THE ZEBRAFISH EMBRYO.
RESEARCHERS CAN TRANSPLANT HUMAN CANCER CELLS INTO THE FISH AND
LOOK FOR WHAT ALLOWS THE CANCER TO SPREAD, OR METASTASIZE.
>> SO WHEN WE TRANSPLANT HUMAN CANCER INTO THE FISH, WE CAN SEE
HOW THE CANCER CELL INTERACTING WITH OUR OWN IMMUNE SYSTEM.
SO YOU CAN LABEL THE CANCER CELL IN ONE COLOR, AND THEN YOU CAN
SEE THE TRANSGENIC IMMUNE CELLS IN THE FISH.
AND YOU CAN -- YOU CAN START TO ASK THE QUESTION OF WHETHER THE
HOST IMMUNE CELLS ACTUALLY ARE HIJACKED BY THE CANCER CELL.
AND THE CANCER CELL USE OUR OWN IMMUNE SYSTEM.
BECAUSE THEY ARE TRANSPARENT, YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING UNDER THE
MICROSCOPE IN REALTIME.
SO THAT IS A MAJOR ADVANTAGE.
>> SO WHEN YOU -- WHEN YOU INJECT WITH CANCER CELLS,
THE BLOOD VESSELS START TO DEVELOP.
BUT IF YOU PUT SOME DRUG AGAINST IT OR SOME CHEMICAL COMPOUND
THAT REDUCE THAT -- THE BLOOD VESSEL DEVELOPMENT, AND THAT IS
THE GOAL OF CANCER RESEARCH.
IF YOU CAN CUT DOWN THE BLOOD VESSELS SO THE TUMOR WILL NOT
DEVELOP, THEY WILL NOT GET THE FOOD, THEY WILL NOT GET THE
OXYGEN, SO THEN THEY WILL NOT DEVELOP.
THAT IS THE MAIN GOAL.
AND IF ONE DAY WE WILL -- WE'LL GET THERE, THEN THAT WILL
BE THE BIG SUCCESS, YOU KNOW.
>> YOU STARVE THE CELL, BASICALLY.
>> EXACTLY.