Drosophila: A Gateway to Understanding Human Development and Disease

Drosophila melanogaster has long served as a cornerstone in biological research offering deep insights into the fundamental principles that govern life. Despite its simplicity compared to humans the fruit fly shares a remarkable degree of genetic and molecular conservation with higher organisms making it a powerful model to study both normal development and disease mechanisms. Over a century of research using Drosophila has helped uncover key genes and signaling pathways that control cell division growth patterning and differentiation processes essential for building complex tissues and organs.

The developmental stages of Drosophila from embryo to adult have been carefully mapped allowing scientists to trace how single cells give rise to highly organized structures. Many of the genes that regulate these processes such as those involved in the Notch Wnt Hedgehog and BMP pathways have direct counterparts in humans. Mutations in these conserved genes often result in developmental disorders highlighting how discoveries made in flies can illuminate the causes of human congenital diseases.

Beyond development Drosophila provides important insights into human diseases including neurodegenerative metabolic and cardiovascular disorders. The fly nervous system though simpler reproduces many features of human brain organization allowing investigation of neuronal growth synaptic function and degeneration. Models of Alzheimer’s Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases have been successfully established in flies revealing molecular interactions that contribute to neuronal loss and toxicity. Similarly studies on metabolism in Drosophila have improved our understanding of obesity diabetes and aging.

Another major advantage of Drosophila research lies in its capacity for large scale genetic screening. By observing phenotypic changes under different genetic or environmental conditions scientists can uncover novel regulators of disease pathways. These discoveries often lead to translational insights that inform therapeutic strategies in humans. The ability to visualize development in real time and analyze gene function across generations makes Drosophila an indispensable tool in modern biology.

This Research Topic aims to bring together studies that use Drosophila as a model to explore fundamental biological processes and their implications in human health and disease.

Key research areas include but are not limited to

• Genetic regulation of embryonic patterning and organ formation

• Molecular mechanisms of cell signaling and differentiation

• Modeling neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases

• Understanding metabolism aging and lifespan regulation

• Studying immune responses and host pathogen interactions

• Exploring cardiac and muscular development and disorders

• Identifying novel genetic modifiers of human disease pathways

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

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Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Drosophila, Development, Human Disease, Genetics, Disease Mechanisms

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.