Why Am I Doing This?
So I am working with drosophila, more commonly known as fruit flies, and anyone reading this is probably wondering why. Well the purpose of my research is to learn more about the gene spastin which, if over expressed, can cause neurodegenerative diseases in humans usually resulting in a life confined to a wheel chair. In my research, I have been crossing flies of different genotypes to create a generation of flies with the human form of the spastin gene. I am testing these flies and analyzing the difference between spastin expressions in various conditions. Hopefully, this research will be able to help us discern more about how spastin functions and how neurological functions are affected by outside influences. This information can then be used to help humans suffering from spastin related neurodegenerative diseases. My small part in research this summer could potentially aid many people suffering from the degeneration of their neurons.
