{"id":12,"date":"2022-12-07T18:21:17","date_gmt":"2022-12-07T17:21:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/europeandrosophilasociety.ijm.fr\/?page_id=12"},"modified":"2022-12-13T14:06:18","modified_gmt":"2022-12-13T13:06:18","slug":"why-the-fly-public-outreach-and-advocacy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/europeandrosophilasociety.ijm.fr\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the fly: public outreach and advocacy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Drosophila melanogaster, commonly known as the fruit fly or vinegar fly, has been a key research animal model for over 100 years.<\/strong> Discoveries in Drosophila have led to the award of 10 Nobel laureates<\/a> for groundbreaking findings in physiology and medicine. Yet, the public, policy makers, and even other scientists not working with Drosophila are not aware of the amazing tools and advantages associated with Drosophila flies. This lack of information and resulting appreciation is a threat to Drosophila research and, most importantly, to scientific progress in general. So, what speaks for Drosophila as a research model?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, Drosophila is an animal just like humans. Much of its fundamental cellular physiology, needs, and behavior mirrors what is observed in humans<\/a>. At the same time, Drosophila is not a mammal. While this might have disadvantages for certain research questions, it allows us to discover the fundamental mechanisms without the difficult ethical concerns and caveats that come with research on rodents or primates.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, nearly 75% of human disease-associated genes are found in Drosophila<\/a>. Groundbreaking research leading to the award of the above-mentioned Nobel prizes has shown that Drosophila genes play the same role as human genes in cancer, development, aging or sleep. The toolkit developed over the last 100 years for Drosophila allows scientists to remove, over- or miss-express genes in any tissue, any cell at precise times during development or adulthood. A feat not possible in humans! Importantly, while research in humans can tell us which gene mutations correlate with certain human diseases, Drosophila can help us to establish whether a certain gene is indeed causal to the disease. And hence, this causal gene is a promising candidate for the development of novel therapies and treatments.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third, Drosophila research is relatively cheap,its life cycle is fast and the community is extremely friendly, sharing information and reagents. Thus, the public, policy makers and scientists can get more, and faster, discovery for every buck they spend.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below we list several resources aimed at the public or at scientists who wish to communicate with the public and policy makers. And while Drosophila is not a better animal or research model than other models, it fills an important niche complementing the possibilities for discovery and scientific advance. As for everything else, diversity enriches our world. This is not only true for scientists, but also equally true for our research models and approaches.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please help us engage the public and advocate for Drosophila research in your countries and communities. Thank you!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AVAILABLE RESOURCES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drosophila<\/em><\/strong> Basics for the General Public<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n