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Primarily used in genetic studies of development, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) has rapidly emerged as a promising animal model of human cancer. Cancer cell transplantation in zebrafish constitutes a key platform for clinical research since it allows to study cellular and molecular events involved in various aspects of tumorigenesis and to evaluate the efficacy of therapeutic molecules in vivo. Applied to patient-derived cells, the xenotransplantation approach in zebrafish allows to define the most appropriate therapeutic strategies for specific alterations found in patients in the context of personalized medicine. This review discusses the zebrafish transplantation model for the study of cancer development and drug discovery., (Copyright © 2019 Société Française du Cancer. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

The zebrafish offers many advantages that motivated and validated its use to study the virulence of numerous human pathogens, including viruses, bacteria and fungi. Its immune system is homologous to the one of mammals. The optical transparency of zebrafish embryos allows non-invasive and real-time monitoring of the infection processes through the use of imaging techniques. The zebrafish is therefore a useful and powerful model to study host-pathogen interactions at a cellular level. It may be used to describe pathophysiological events and subversion mechanisms that are specific to each pathogen. In addition to increasing our understanding of the host immune defense, this model is of high potential for medical application, being particularly amenable to high-throughput screening for the discovery of new anti-infective molecules., (© 2015 médecine/sciences – Inserm.)