In this area, we use the zebrafish (Danio rerio) to model and study human inflammatory diseases, implementing new methodologies to investigate immune-metabolic pathways related to the microbiota-intestine-kidney axis. Taking advantage of the optical transparency and ease of genetic manipulation of the zebrafish, we create transgenic and mutant animals that can help us to answer key questions in this field. We are capable to study the microbiota in an isolated approach by generating gnotobiotic zebrafish larvae and observing the interaction and outcomes of distinct microbial species in the context of inflammatory diseases. Besides this, we are currently working on the establishment of a primary cell culture derived from zebrafish kidney.