Texas State Gets $3M NIH Grant for Fish Disease Research
Texas State University geneticists Yuan Lu and Manfred Schartl will use the funding to advance the Xiphophorus fish model for studying human disease.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Life Sciences
Texas State University geneticists Yuan Lu and Manfred Schartl received a $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to advance research using Xiphophorus fish as a model for studying disease. The project is titled "Advancement of the Xiphophorus Model for Studying Disease."
Why it matters
Xiphophorus fish, commonly known as platyfish and swordtails, carry genetic differences that can produce traits resembling human diseases while often remaining healthy, making them a useful research model. The grant aims to make that model easier for other scientists to access and use across Texas and beyond.
The $3 million award is a federal NIH grant, and Texas State houses 24 of the 26 known Xiphophorus species at its Institute for Molecular Life Sciences. The extraction does not indicate the project timeline or which specific human diseases will be prioritized.
The players
Yuan Lu
Yuan Lu is an assistant professor in the departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Biology at Texas State University and associate director of the Institute for Molecular Life Sciences.
Manfred Schartl
Manfred Schartl is a scholar in residence at Texas State University's Institute for Molecular Life Sciences and a longtime researcher on Xiphophorus fish.
The details
The team will standardize information about the fish, their genes and traits, and link that data to public research platforms. They will also develop laboratory-grown cell models and genetic tools to study specific genes in cells and living fish.
Timeline
The grant announcement was published November 4, 2026.
Life Sciences Lineage
The Xiphophorus melanoma model developed earlier led to discoveries used in human melanoma diagnosis and drug development. This grant extends that model to a wider range of disease research with new standardized data and genetic tools.
The grant will make the Xiphophorus fish model easier for other scientists to access and use, which could speed up disease research with practical medical applications. Students at Texas State will also gain lab-based and computational research opportunities through the project.
The takeaway
Standardized, publicly linked animal model data can make research tools available to a broader scientific community. The Texas State project shows how established models like Xiphophorus can continue to yield new insights into human disease.
Further reading
Explore more in Life Sciences coverage across Texas.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Hays Free Press and News-Dispatch.
