Insects as Models of Disease

The common fruit-fly, Drosophila melanogaster, holds promise for enhanced understanding of highly conserved disease pathways shared by both flies and humans. Use of such an insect model is a cost effective opportunity for therapeutic discovery that includes central nervous system disorders, inflammatory disorders, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. Calorimetry, or small insect respirometry can be an effective tool in drug screens, replacing or enhancing in-vitro, small molecule research.

Drosophila Metabolic Screening System

Depending on the method used, Sable Drosophila metabolic screening systems are capable of measuring the metabolic rates of small groups of Drosophila, or even of individual Drosophila in real time. This unique ... (more)

MAVEn™ System for Small Insect Flow-Through Respirometry

The Sable MAVEn™ system is an integrated, compact 16-channel flow generator for small insect flow-through respirometry. Each flow is pushed through a sealed container holding a subject animal. The system automatically selects ... (more)

Relevant Publications

Ma, J., Benson, A. K., Kachman, S. D., Jacobsen, D. J., & Harshman, L. G. (2013). Drosophila melanogaster Selection for Survival after Infection with Bacillus cereus Spores: Evolutionary Genetic and Phenotypic Investigations of Respiration and Movement. International journal of evolutionary biology, 2013.

Ridley, E. V., Wong, A. C., Westmiller, S., & Douglas, A. E. (2012). Impact of the resident microbiota on the nutritional phenotype of Drosophila melanogaster. PLoS One, 7(5), e36765.

Avanesian, A., Khodayari, B., Felgner, J. S., & Jafari, M. (2010). Lamotrigine extends lifespan but compromises health span in Drosophila melanogaster. Biogerontology, 11(1), 45-52.