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Using Drosophila to study neural development and growth - Clayton campus

Published: 8 April 2009

As mature form develops from early embryos, the myriad cells that compose the body take on specialised tasks associated with their functions in the various organs. Developmental biology seeks a mechanistic understanding of how these distinct cell types result from the common genome.

The presentation will give an account of the mechanisms of neurogenesis, focusing on the eye of the genetically-tractable fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster as an experimental system to unravel the regulation of the bHLH transcription factors that define neural cells.

This will be followed by a discussion on the intimate relationship between development and growth, the control of cell proliferation in vivo, and recent studies of 'cell competition'.

It is interesting to wonder whether cell competition is involved in cancer, and how it might be exploited in regenerative medicine.

Time: 11 am to 12 pm
Date: Thursday 9 April, 2009
Venue: Seminar Room MISCL, Lvl 3, building 75 , Clayton campus

For further information contact:
Name: Joanna George
Telephone: +61 3 9902 9608
Email: joanna.george@armi.monash.edu.au