Drosophila (fruit fly) is one of the most valuable organisms in biological research, and has been used as a model organism for over a century. It has contributed enormously to the fields of genetics and developmental biology. Its importance for human health related research was recognized by the award of the Nobel prize in medicine/physiology to Ed Lewis, Christiane Nusslein-Volhard and Eric Wieschaus in 1995. In the last decade, it has been successfully used to study human diseases, particularly neurodegenerative diseases, and has contributed significant and novel insights to molecular mechanisms of human diseases.

Due to its small size, short life cycle, easiness for large scale breeding, and a century of accumulated genetic tools, including large number of existing mutants and transgenic lines, Drosophila is used today by several thousand biological and biomedical scientists worldwide. Many researchers in China are beginning to appreciate Drosophilai’s value as a model organism and to use it in their research, with needs for services and technical support. In response to these requirements, Dr. Fu-De Huang established the Drosophila Facility in May, 2007. Currently, the facility has two technicians and runs under the supervision of Dr. Fu-De Huang and consists of a fly culture and screening room (15 square meters), one setup for generating transgenic flies, one fly activity monitoring system and two electrophysiology setups.