THE RESEARCH
How do genes and external environments shape brain formation and function?
Proper development of the human brain requires an exquisitely coordinated series of steps, and disruption of these processes can lead to devastating diseases. Our goal is to identify essential pathways linked to human neurodevelopmental disease. The fruit fly helps us study these pathways during normal development and in disease states to identify conserved biological processes. We focus on microcephaly, a condition that is characterized by reduced head size. What genes are associated with microcephaly, how do they govern brain size, and what are the molecular mechanisms during neuronal development?
Disruptions in neurodevelopment can affect brain function later in life. As a result, patients can be affected with autism spectrum disorder, seizures, or neurodegenerative diseases. We look to the fly to help us understand disrupted mechanisms that influence quality of life. The fruit fly can even be used to identify novel drug treatments for rare disease.
THE PROCESS
We use Drosophila as a model system to investigate development and disease. The fruit fly is an excellent model for these studies because of the ease and sophistication of its genetic manipulation, short generation time, and low cost. Over 65% of human genes have fly orthologs, and many human genes can functionally replace fly genes in vivo.
