Disease Research Using the Simple Model Organism, the Fruit Fly

We have gained opportunities for collaborative research with clinical research institutions and have recognized that data rapidly obtained from experiments using fruit flies can effectively complement human genome analysis, in silico analysis, mouse and human cultured cells, and clinical studies. So far, we have achieved significant findings in neurological disease research, including the discovery of gene mutations causing central nervous system disorders in rare diseases (Sci. Rep. 13(1):975, 2023; Eur. J. Med. Genet. 66(8):104804. 2023; AJHG 110(8):1356-1376. 2023; Hum. Mol. Genet. 31(1):69-81. 2021) and the development of models to examine the pathological significance of mutations in OPA1, a gene responsible for Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy (ADOA) (eLife 2023 reviewed preprint). Consequently, we have confirmed the effectiveness of research using the simple model organism, the fruit fly, in clinical studies. With this in mind, we are dedicated to contributing to the field of disease research.