Libraries' Faculty Research Club: Fruit Fly Models of Human Disease

Join the Dean of Libraries in conversation with Dr. Trudy Mackay

A major challenge in human genetics is to understand how naturally occurring variation in the human population affects disease liability by perturbing molecular networks.

Surprisingly, 75% of human disease genes are present in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. Our laboratory uses Drosophila to understand the genetic basis of common and rare diseases and disorders and translates these findings to humans.