Welcome!

 

 

Drosophila melanogaster, also known as the common fruit fly, is a model organism that has been used for over 100 years due to its low cost for purchasing and upkeep of colonies, its rapid life cycle which allows for quick experimentation, and the various genetic tools that have been made available in the fruit fly. While many may know experiments that focus on its endless capabilities of a genetic tool, Drosophila have started to be used in a variety of developmental studies due to many genes having homology with other species. However,  people may not realize how much a fly can be used to study different diseases associated with the lungs of humans even though flies lack a localized area to store oxygen.

The goal for this website is not only to give an understanding the history and development of Drosophila,  but also to demonstrate how Drosophila have been used in studying different diseases associated with human lungs, with an increased focus on the importance of Drosophila in the study of asthma.