Monday, December 12, 2016

Review highlights what's right about the fly for neurodegenerative disease-related research

McGurk L, Berson A, Bonini NM. Drosophila as an In Vivo Model for Human Neurodegenerative Disease. Genetics. 2015 Oct;201(2):377-402. PMID: 26447127; PMCID: PMC4596656.

From the abstract: "With the increase in the ageing population, neurodegenerative disease is devastating to families and poses a huge burden on society. ... The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has been proven tremendously valuable as a model organism, enabling many major discoveries in neuroscientific disease research. The plethora of genetic tools available in Drosophila allows for exquisite targeted manipulation of the genome. Due to its relatively short lifespan, complex questions of brain function can be addressed more rapidly than in other model organisms, such as the mouse. Here we discuss features of the fly as a model for human neurodegenerative disease. ... we underscore strengths of the fly in providing understanding into mechanisms and pathways, as a foundation for translational and therapeutic research."

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