Understanding the mechanism of vision development.

Retinal development is a dynamic process that begins in utero and continues postnatally up to the age of 13 years. Zebrafish are the best choice of model organism to study vision development due to multiple factors. Zebrafish retinal anatomy, development and physiological characteristics are like humans. By 72 hours post-fertilisation retinal morphology and function is robust like adults and testable using visual behaviour assays. In this project we will use CRISPR-Cas9 based techniques to manipulate genes that will modify the optokinetic reflex and correlate this to retinal structure and function in zebrafish. We will analyse summary statistics from Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) related to vision development to prioritise gene targets in zebrafish. In cases where paralogs are present, a double knockout strategy will be implemented to explore gene redundancies, as well as potential sub- or neo-functional aspects in zebrafish. Additionally, we will develop innovative visual behaviour analysis tools using deep learning techniques. These tools are designed to be versatile and applicable across various laboratory settings, allowing for stimulus and acquisition independence. Whilst previous work has demonstrated the use of the optokinetic reflex as a robust assay to measure visual behaviour, currently no reporting standards exist. We will systematically develop an optimal protocol for optokinetic reflex assay in zebrafish using range of different stimuli with the aim of creating reporting standards in this domain. This targeted approach will not only ensure novel methodological advances in the field but also improve our understanding on the mechanisms of normal vision development and associated gene regulatory networks.