Demented flies? using Drosophila to model human neurodegenerative diseases

Towards individualized medicine: flies lead the way

While the search for the genetic foundation of complex diseases receives a great deal of attention in the popular scientific press, it is merely the first step in a very long journey from gene identification to therapeutic options. Unexpectedly, even diseases that are caused by mutations in a single gene have a collection of diverse possible symptoms that variably affect each patient. What is becoming more obvious is the need to correlate specific endophenotypes, or subsets of disease symptoms, with specific genetic and/or environmental factors that differ from patient to patient. Surprisingly, Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly, may be a key player in making these assignments, and in the drug-discovery process that necessarily follows. In this review, we discuss the issues that are emerging in neurological disease research, and why Drosophila’s role in the pathway towards pharmacological solutions is likely to increase.