The National Institutes of Health, the Office of the Director and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences have awarded Indiana University Bloomington’s Drosophila Genomics Resource Center (DGRC) a $3.4 million award over five years. The award is a continuation of the grant that established the center in 2003 and will carry the DGRC into a quarter century of funding.
This reinforces the significance of Drosophila research. Drosophila melanogaster, the humble fruit fly, is a powerful model organism, offering unparalleled insights into fundamental biological processes. Six Nobel Prizes have been awarded to discoveries made using the Drosophila model system underlying the impact of fruit fly research. The compact genome, its short life cycle, and its genetic similarity to humans make Drosophila an ideal organism for unraveling the complexities of genetics, development and disease. Since its inception, the DGRC has contributed to this effort by providing and developing cutting-edge molecular and cell biology reagents to research laboratories in the US and abroad.
DGRC is one of the triumvirate of world-class, NIH-funded Drosophila centers hosted by IU Bloomington. The other two are the Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center (BDSC) and FlyBase.
The DGRC credits IUB, the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Biology for the unwavering commitment that has resulted in these three centers supporting groundbreaking research and fostering collaboration among researchers – both nationally and internationally – and contributing to the undergraduate research experience at IU.
Additionally, DGRC acknowledges the entire research community that leverages its resources. The research community’s dedication to advancing scientific understanding through Drosophila research is instrumental in shaping the future of biology as well as critical advancements in medicine.
The College of Arts