Review uncovers shared cross-disease molecular hubs in fruit fly models, highlighting scalable strategies to bridge functional genomics and translational drug discovery.
Modeling human diseases using the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) has established itself as a cornerstone of functional genomics and preclinical medicine. Despite its anatomical simplicity, the Drosophila genome shares remarkable functional conservation with human disease-related genes, enabling the study of complex physiological traits through accessible tissue models. Furthermore, beyond individual disease models, we propose a framework demonstrating how these diseases converge at common molecular centers, such as the breakdown of protein homeostasis, mitochondrial dysfunction, chronic inflammation, and organ-to-organ communication. Finally, we discuss strategies for integrating the Drosophila platform into drug development pipelines and establishing standards to enhance inter-laboratory reproducibility. Overall, this review highlights the enduring value of fruit flies as a model system, particularly when combined with AI-omics approaches to transform complex biological datasets into actionable therapeutic strategies.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Kwak et al. (2026) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: