WARF TECHNOLOGIES

Few treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, have been discovered.  In many cases, the molecular basis for neurodegeneration remains unknown.  Animal models might be useful for identifying new therapies, but few animal models for these diseases currently are available. 

Drosophila commonly are used as model organisms.  As many as 70 percent of human disease genes have homologues in Drosophila, making these organisms useful for identifying particular disease genes as well as subsequent assays for drug development.

UW-Madison researchers have compiled a collection of mutant Drosophila with obvious and distinct neurodegeneration.  Each of these mutants has a defect in a single gene.  They could be used to identify novel drug targets for neurodegenerative diseases.

• Screening programs aimed at identifying novel pharmaceutical agents and drug targets in an in vivo biological system
• Functional genomic studies to identify novel genes involved in neural function and disease
• An experimental model for human neurodegenerative disorders

• Provides a good animal model for neurodegenerative diseases

For More Information About the Inventors

• Barry Ganetzky

Related Technologies

• See WARF reference number P99190US for a collection of temperature sensitive paralytic Drosophila mutants.

Tech Fields

• Drug Discovery & Development : Disease models
• Research Tools : Animal & disease models