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POSTER PRESENTATION / POSTER SUNUM

Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetic Studies in Drug
Discovery and Development: The Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) Model

Sultan Nurhan AYIKOL Ender YARSAN *
2,
1

1 Ankara University, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and
Toxicology, TÜRKIYE

2 Ankara University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and
Toxicology, TÜRKIYE

*Correspound Author: eyarsan@gmail.com

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are increasingly being used as a complementary experimental

animal model in various stages of drug discovery and development, from disease modeling
and target validation to drug safety, toxicology, and target screening. They are highly

preferred by researchers due to their similarity to humans in morphological, molecular,
genetic, and pathological characteristics. Other advantages of zebrafish include their small

size, easy and inexpensive care, a large genetic database, the absence of ethical restrictions

in embryo testing, the optically clear appearance of embryos and larvae, which allows for
high-throughput imaging-based phenotypic screening, and their high reproductive capacity.

The selectivity and efficacy of new drug molecules should be evaluated using different
in vitro and in vivo approaches, especially in the preclinical phase. The robustness and

precision of preclinical findings play a crucial role in the targeted conduct of clinical trials. To
this end, during the drug discovery process, many drugs are examined for their ADME

(absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) properties using both in vitro and in vivo

resources. Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling (BPM), a frequently used
pharmacokinetic model in modern drug discovery and development, is defined as
mathematical modeling based on physiology. It combines information about a drug with

independent prior knowledge of its physiology and biology at the organismal level to generate

mechanistic representations of the drug, generating drug concentration-time profiles.
Overall, zebrafish models provide an innovative bridge between in vitro systems and

mammalian studies, accelerating drug development while also improving safety, cost-
effectiveness, and translational relevance.

Keywords: Zebrafish, drug discovery, pharmacokinetics, PBPK modelling, ADME.

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