History and aims
Aims
The main aims of the network are to promote the use of the zebrafish (Danio rerio) in experimental sciences, to facilitate the exchange of materials and to foster advanced training of young scientists in the region.
A critical mass of laboratories in these countries has been reached and investigators are looking for ways in which to create synergy by combining efforts.
History
LAZEN was created in 2010, as an AMSUD-Pasteur Network, in a first meeting of researchers from Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay. This meeting took place at Institut Pasteur de Montevideo and Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Uruguay, on December 10-11.Download the First Meeting ProgramDownload the First Meeting PosterAccess a report on the I Meeting, published in Zebrafish, here.
In December 2011, the First LAZEN Course took place in Porto Alegre, Brazil, with the attendance of more than 70 students and researchers to the talks and around 20 students participating in practicals.
The Second Meeting and Course was in 2012, in Rosario, Argentina, followed by Valparaíso, Chile (Third Meeting and Course) in 2014, Porto Alegre, Brazil (Fourth Meeting and Course) in 2016, and Cuernavaca, México (Fifth Meeting and Course) in May, 2018. In all these courses and meetings, in addition to the participation of regional instructros and lecturers, we received the visit of several internationally recognized researchers, who greatly contributed to the formation of our students and to the establishment of global connections between the LAZEN groups and reference centers in other regions.
Access a report on the III Meeting, published in Zebrafish, here, and another on the V meeting (written by course students) here.
Through these years, the Latin American zebrafish community has rapidly grown, with the incorporation of many more groups and researchers to the network, and the addition of new countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, México and Perú. Call for applications is always open to all Latin America-based research groups working on zebrafish: download the application form here.