Synchrotron used to study zebrafish for potential scoliosis treatment

WATCH: Canada's only synchrotron is helping researchers shine a light on scoliosis research.

A recent study conducted with the help of the Canadian Light Source (CLS) could illuminate early scoliosis detection with the help of the humble zebrafish.

“Zebrafish have been used in the biomedical research community for decades. they have a lot to offer studying development in disease states,” said Brian Ciruna, head of the developmental & stem cell biology program at the Hospital for Sick Kids in Toronto.

“They’re vertebrates, they have organ systems similar to humans. They share similar physiology. About 80 per cent of all disease-causing genes are shared with zebrafish.”

Zebrafish are prone to scoliosis, which is a condition that causes curvature in the spine. By examining them with the synchrotron, it could potentially allow for researchers to understand what causes the condition and take steps towards early intervention.

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“Right now, three to four per cent of the population will be diagnosed with scoliosis. We can’t predict which children will develop it. If they do develop scoliosis, we can’t determine or predict which child will develop severe curve progression. And that creates a lot of anxieties for the patients and for their families,” Ciruna said.

The synchrotron (also known as the Canadian Light Source) is like an extremely powerful microscope, which allows researchers to see the atoms and molecules that make up matter.

“Looking at the spine of a zebrafish...we can look at how the spine changes do to oxidative stress. And that helps us understand how a disease like scoliosis will happen in the human [body]” Michel Fodje, a senior scientist with the Canadian Light Source told CTV News.

The CLS is used for a wide variety of research, but Fodje says the synchrotron’s use in the advancements of health science is particularly exciting.

“We’re looking at protein molecules at the atomic level. And we can see, for example, the structure of the virus. We can see how it interacts with the tissues of the human...we can develop drugs that prevent it from happening,” Fodje said.

After gathering data from the CLS, Ciruna’s team in Toronto has started a clinical study to see if the information can be applied to humans.

While there is still plenty of research to be done, Ciruna is hopeful that the findings from Saskatoon’s synchrotron have brought his team closer to a new treatment.

“Right now, the treatment options really are wait and see. And when the curves begin to progress, we can apply braces, or the surgeons can do corrective invasive surgery of the curvatures. What I’m hoping is that — because we’ve demonstrated a simple, non-invasive over-the-counter therapy can work in our zebrafish models — if this translates, it may be a way of actually preventing severe curve progression in patients,” he said.