SKC Science & Technology Webinar

What can we learn about the cause of human diseases by studying Fruit Fly and Zebra Fish?

Date/Time: Thursday, February 10, 2022 Indian Standard Time

Speaker: Upendra Nongthomba, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India

Abstract: Extensive sequencing of genomes of patients suffering from diverse disorders/diseases has led to the identification of many causative mutations responsible for the pathological conditions of the diseases. However, it’s still a challenge to deduce the genotype-phenotype correlation accurately. Since many of the disease-causing genes exhibit not only high structural/residue conservations but also perform similar functions in humans and other species, we have been using genetically amenable organisms like Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) and Danio rerio (Zebra fish) to dissect the aetiology of human diseases and disorders such as neurodegenerative diseases and epilepsies. It is conceivable that such a study has the potential to unravel fundamental mechanisms involved, thus providing insight into human diseases but also serve as a resource for developing therapeutic interventions, like the development of diagnostic kits and ameliorating drugs. I will highlight some of these concepts in this talk.

Bio: Upendra Nongthomba is professor in the Department of Molecular Reproduction Development and Genetics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. A native of Imphal, Manipur, India, he completed his B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees, all from the University of Mysore, India. He did his post-doctoral work at University of York, UK. He joined Indian Institute of Science in 2004 where he's now a full professor. His research areas of interest are Genetics, Cell Biology and Molecular Biology. He is a recipient of Sir C. V. Raman Young Scientist State Award.

Target Audience: This is for a wider audience. In particular, higher secondary and college students and teachers are welcome.

This webinar will be conducted over Zoom. The Zoom link will be available to registrants (sent to their email addresses) shortly before the webinar starts.

This webinar is part of SKC Science and Technology Webinar Series.

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