Researchers at the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute and Hospital have characterized and developed a new study model using Drosophila that will enable the evaluation of various infectious agents. The Clinical and Experimental Microbiology Unit (UMCiE) at the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), in collaboration with the Comparative Medicine and Bioimage Centre of Catalonia (CMCiB), a strategic project of the institute, has spent years studying and refining infection techniques in Drosophila melanogaster flies. These organisms, commonly known as fruit flies, present multiple experimental advantages.
They have a short life cycle, low maintenance costs, are easily genetically manipulated, and approximately 65% of their genes have human homologues, along with some shared physiological systems. Moreover, using Drosophila helps reduce the use of vertebrate animals in research, providing an ethical alternative for preliminary experiments. UMCiE researchers are using D.
melanogaster as an experimental model to evaluate new vaccines or antibiotics after demonstrating their efficacy in vitro (in the laboratory), before moving on to studies involving animals such as mice. Recently, they have published two articles in Frontiers in Microbiology and Frontiers in Immunology , laying the groundwork for using this model for different infections and evaluating its innate immunity against infections by Candida albicans. The Frontiers in Microbiology article outlines the estab.
