Drosophila Research Conference to highlight recent advances in genetics research

Genetics Society of AmericaFeb 28 2015

Over 1,500 scientists from 30 countries and 46 states will attend next week's 56th Annual Drosophila Research Conference organized by the Genetics Society of America (GSA), March 4–8 in Chicago, IL. The conference will feature close to 1,000 presentations (including 170 talks) describing cutting-edge research on genetics, developmental biology, cancer, stem cells, neurology, epigenetics, genetic disease, aging, immunity, behavior, drug discovery, and technology. It is the largest meeting in the world that brings together researchers who use the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster to study biology.

Of special note are scientists whose achievements in genetics are being honored through awards and special lectures:

• The keynote address will be given by Allan Spradling (Carnegie Institution for Science, Baltimore; Howard Hughes Medical Institute), who will discuss the essential role Drosophila plays in biological research.
• GSA's Thomas Hunt Morgan Award for lifetime achievement in the field of genetics will be presented to Brian Charlesworth (University of Edinburgh) for his profound impact on population genetics and evolutionary biology.
• The Genetics Society of America Medal for outstanding contributions to genetics in the past 15 years will be presented to Steve Henikoff (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center).
• The Larry Sandler Memorial Award winner lecture will be presented by this year's awardee, who is recognized for an outstanding PhD thesis in Drosophila research.
• Several early career researchers have won awards supporting their travel to the conference: six undergraduate researchers who received Victoria Finnerty Undergraduate Travel Awards from the Drosophila community and GSA; one undergraduate student recipient of the Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) travel grant from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology; and eight PhD student and postdoc recipients of GSA's DeLill Nasser Award for Professional Development in Genetics.

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is one of the most versatile and widely used model organisms applied to the study of genetics, physiology, and evolution. Drosophilaresearch has led to some of the most significant breakthroughs in our understanding of biology, includingfive Nobel prizes. It is an effective system for studying a range of human genetic diseases, ranging from cancer to diabetes to neurodegenerative disorders. Fruit flies are a valuable resource for biomedical research because of the efficiency and cost-effectiveness with which comprehensive, sensitive, and accurate biological data can be generated. Research presented at the Drosophilaconference, like that at other GSA conferences, helps advance our fundamental understanding of living systems and provides crucial insight into human biology, health and disease.

The conference will take place at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers at 301 East North Water Street. The organizers include Gregory J. Beitel, PhD (Northwestern University), Michael Eisen (University of California, Berkeley; Howard Hughes Medical Institute), Marc Freeman (University of Massachusetts Medical School; Howard Hughes Medical Institute), and Ilaria Rebay (University of Chicago).