Summary of the science
Different species can share genes and species that are more related to each other share more genes (e.g. humans and chimps compared to humans and flowers). The fruit fly and humans share numerous fundamental genes, with approximately 75% of disease-causing genes in humans also present in the fruit fly. The Cagan lab makes use of this similarity and intends to understand how diseases work, by using treatments on fruit flies and using the information gained to tailor treatments in humans.
About the research
The Cagan lab is focused on applying genomics for therapeutic purposes and developing Drosophila and organoid model systems to understand the interplay between diseases and treatments. They investigate cancerous diseases and inherited genetic disorders. By modelling how these diseases function in complex models, they can better understand how they may work in humans under clinical settings and their work has already contributed to the development of existing chemotherapeutics.
About the illustration
The aim of the lab is to exploit the genetic similarities between humans and Drosophila. To highlight this idea of genetic similarity, we decided to use a Venn diagram made of DNA as the central motif of the illustration, with human and fly drawings encapsulated within to show them as model systems in the research.