Each year, billions of dollars are spent on studying human diseases. Most science experts will agree that the use of laboratory animals is essential to understand how certain ailments develop in humans and to develop novel therapeutic approaches. Due to the ethical dilemma of conducting experiments in people as well as the advances of research studies in well-defined and characterized animal species, scientists have relied on laboratory animals as research models for more than 70 years.

Since making its debut as a research organism in the late 1970s, the humble zebrafish—an unassuming, pinky-sized striped fish originally found in the freshwaters of the Himalayas—has gained significant traction as a valuable tool among genetics and other biomedical researchers. In 1999, this small-sized fish was bestowed with a full-service resource center, established in Eugene, Oregon, with support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Standardized labeling of resources will improve the reproducibility in biomedical research.

Open-Lab Notebook enables rapid, collaborative response to Zika virus research questions.

The era of personalized medicine is being realized through the testing of therapies on animal avatars.

Biobanks seek to reduce the hidden variables in animal resources that can affect experimental results.

Mutant mouse strains enable scientists to study pathogens as they interact with the human immune system.