Zika virus (ZIKV) infection is a major public health concern, particularly due to the severe brain development defects it can cause in fetuses when pregnant women are infected. One of the most serious outcomes is microcephaly—a condition in which newborns exhibit abnormally small heads. Currently, there are no approved treatments or vaccines for ZIKV, largely because the mechanisms behind the disease remain poorly understood.
Until now, mouse models have been used to study ZIKV infection. However, these models come with significant limitations in terms of number of animals required, technical challenges, high costs, and ethical considerations.
At the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Professors Laurent Chatel-Chaix and Kessen Patten combined their expertise in virology and neurodegenerative diseases, respectively, to explore an alternative animal infection model based on zebrafish. This collaboration has led to new insights into how Zika virus affects the developing brain.
Together with Aïcha Sow, a PhD student in virology and immunology, the researchers, who are also Pasteur Network members, developed a zebrafish model that allows them to study ZIKV infection at early developmental stages at the levels of the whole organism, tissues, cells, and molecules.
This research, which constitutes the core Sow’s doctoral thesis, was recently published in PLOS Pathogens. The student is also planning to begin a postdoctoral fellowship at the Institut Pasteur in France in the near future.
