Tools for

Compound screening

Zebrafish larvae readily absorb compounds from the surrounding water, which is a great advantage when it comes to determining the effects of certain drugs or other substances. For example, they are an ideal subject when testing novel anticonvulsants or proconvulsants in epilepsy research.

Tools for Compound screening
css ruud van den bos zebrafish lab female researcher

Observation Chamber

Zebrafish larvae very suitable for multi-well plate, high-throughput screening. A controlled testing environment allows for effective and efficient protocols. 

An observation chamber offers just that. The DanioVision Observation Chamber contains all necessary hardware on the inside, keeping everything else out so you are in control over the experimental conditions. Its innovative design guarantees a reliable image for tracking each individual larva.


Compound screening in 96-well plates

Screening compounds benefits greatly from 96-well plate setups, as this allows for high-throughput testing. DanioVision is a great tool for accommodating such research.

css ruud van den bos zebrafish pipette chamber
css ruud van den bos zebrafish well plate chamber

Toxicology zebrafish research

To protect human health, wildlife, and the environment, the effects of naturally occurring and synthetic contaminants need to be monitored. In particular, mechanisms through which toxins cause disease are often poorly understood. Zebrafish are often a preferred model species, as these small species have a high reproductive rate. They are also transparent as larvae and develop outside of the mother. Recent advances in genetic engineering and easy genetic manipulation have opened up a lot of new opportunities for specific testing. 


Customer quote

"Exposing 2 to 4 dpf fish to moderate concentrations of water-soluble proconvulsants, such as pentylenetetrazol (PTz), is sufficient to dramatically increase locomotion that can very easily be measured using the DanioVision system."

Richard Baines|University of Manchester, United Kingdom


Toxicity of quantum dots

To better test the effects on locomotor activity in response to certain compounds, zebrafish larvae can be loaded into multi-well plates. For example, Duan et al. (2013) investigated the developmental toxicity of quantum dots in larvae using 24-well plates in a DanioVision system. 

Quantum dots

Quantum dots are nanoparticles made of a semiconductor material, that have unique optical properties: the wavelength (and thus color) of their light emission depends on their size rather than the material they are made of. As a result, they are of great interest for fields such as biological imaging, medical diagnostics, drug delivery, and gene therapy.

Toxicity testing

Certain quantum dots may be toxic, limiting their usefulness. Duan investigated a specific type of quantum dots called Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) in a zebrafish study. The researchers looked at activity levels of 6 dpf larvae swimming in visible light in a DanioVision Observation Chamber. Using EthoVision XT, they found that the total swimming distance was suppressed in treated larvae in a dose-dependent manner.

In a light-dark experiment (10-minute bouts of alternating light conditions), the control group showed the typical increased activity levels during dark phases. In comparison, the treated larvae showed significant hypo-activity.


Chemical spill toxicology

In January 2014, a chemical spill contaminated the drinking water in nine counties surrounding Charleston, West Virginia, in the United States. At the lab of Dr. Jennifer Freeman, Katharine Horzmann and her colleagues investigated the toxicology of the spill using zebrafish larvae as a biomedical model. To investigate the compounds, the researchers did an acute toxicity assay, morphological assessment, and visual motor response test.

DanioVision locomotor response

The visual motor response test was conducted using DanioVision, during a white light routine in 96-well plates. At 28°C, larvae were exposed to alternating 10 minute periods of light and darkness, for 50 minutes in total. Several movement parameters were collected with EthoVision XT tracking software.

toxicology zebrafish research

Zebrafish research with DanioVision

Larvae activity and movement patterns are basic measurements used in many studies. They can reveal information on stereotypic and epileptic behaviors, circadian rhythmicity, motor control, movement disorders, neural development, and more.

DanioVision is a complete system designed for exactly these types of experiments with zebrafish larvae, and is often used in studies related to drug development, safety pharmacology, behavioral genetics, toxicology, and circadian rhythmicity.



Read more about Richard Baines' research in this blog post. Other publications you might be interested in:


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How young zebrafish cope with stress



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