Flies offer insights into motor neuron diseaseALS is one of the most common forms of motor neuron di

Flies offer insights into motor neuron disease

ALS is one of the most common forms of motor neuron disease, killing around 1,200 people a year in the UK.

Researchers at the Babraham Institute and the University of Massachusetts have developed a new way to study the process of nerve damage, which occurs in people with ALS and other forms of motor neuron disease.

By studying nerves in legs from the common fruit fly (top image), researchers identified genes involved in the neurodegeneration process. 

They hope that this model will both increase understanding of neurodegenerative diseases and help to inform future therapies.

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Image credits: Top: Microscopic image of a fly leg, Babraham Institute

Bottom left: (top) fully-functioning neuromuscular junction from a wild type fly and neuromuscular junction showing degeneration (bottom), Babraham Institute

Bottom right: Drosophila pupae, Helio Alexandre Duarte Roque forZEISS Microscopy