Dear Colleagues,

Over the past few decades, zebrafish have come to the forefront as a powerful, versatile animal model for studying a range of physiological processes. Combining the latest genome editing and imaging technologies with the scalability of this vertebrate model allows scientists to approach biological questions from an unprecedented angle. The zebrafish model has already proved its merit for the study of cardiovascular physiology, disease and regeneration. It has helped us to better understand the development of the cardiovascular system as well as regenerative mechanisms and the roles of essential signaling pathways. In recent years, the rise of CRISPR/Cas9 and related genome-editing tools has allowed for the rapid generation of new, precise models of cardiovascular disease. Advanced imaging modalities have been instrumental in visualizing normal and aberrant processes in these models. Not only do these technologies encompass the in vivo and ex vivo microscopy of early developmental stages, but recently, the detailed phenotyping of adult zebrafish has also become possible by increasing the resolution of imaging techniques, which were previously only applicable to larger animal models. Another unique advantage of using zebrafish embryos or larvae as a model is the opportunity to perform in vivo, unbiased, high-throughput drug screening. Using this approach, new disease mechanisms can be discovered that would escape scrutiny using standard targeted approaches based on a priori knowledge.

This Special Issue aims to highlight the current state of the art of the applications of zebrafish models for cardiovascular research. The topics may include (but are not limited to) zebrafish models of cardiovascular disease and regeneration, insights into signaling mechanisms based on zebrafish studies, advances in phenotyping techniques, and drug-discovery efforts. Original articles as well as reviews highlighting the latest advances in the field are welcomed.

Prof. Dr. Patrick Y. Sips
Dr. Anabela Bensimon-Brito
Guest Editors

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• zebrafish
• cardiovascular system
• physiology
• genome editing
• drug discovery
• cell signaling
• development
• regeneration
• disease models
• imaging techniques