Zebrafish—A Suitable Model for Rapid Translation of Effective Therapies for Pediatric Cancers.

Simple Summary: Cancer stands as the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the United States. Some of these pediatric cancers are highly aggressive and complex in nature. Current in vitro models often fail to accurately replicate the tumor microenvironment, while in vivo models face time and cost constraints. This review article emphasizes the unique advantages of zebrafish models in pediatric cancer research due to their genetic similarity to humans, short experimental timeline, ease of genetic manipulations, rapid in vivo tumor development, and transparent bodies that facilitate precise tumor cell tracking at single-cell resolution. Through a comprehensive analysis of existing literature and experimental findings, the article highlights the potential of zebrafish as a valuable preclinical model for studying tumor biology, expediting drug discovery and screening processes, and implementing personalized medicine strategies for treating pediatric cancers. Pediatric cancers are the leading cause of disease-related deaths in children and adolescents. Most of these tumors are difficult to treat and have poor overall survival. Concerns have also been raised about drug toxicity and long-term detrimental side effects of therapies. In this review, we discuss the advantages and unique attributes of zebrafish as pediatric cancer models and their importance in targeted drug discovery and toxicity assays. We have also placed a special focus on zebrafish models of pediatric brain cancers—the most common and difficult solid tumor to treat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]