Project Description: Millions of cells in our body die every minute as part of normal homeostasis by programmed cell death. Too little or too much cell death can lead to a number of human diseases including cancer. One of the research focuses in our lab is to understanding the mechanisms and regulation of cell death in homeostasis and development using Drosophila as a model system. Many of the cell death pathway components found in mammals are highly conserved in Drosophila, making it a useful genetic system for biological and disease model studies. Ultimately our goal is to understand the various ways cells die and how these relate to disease. In current projects we are examining the role of a distinct form of cell death using a range of cellular, molecular and genetic approaches.
Pre-requisite skills: An understanding of cell and molecular biology is important with basic laboratory skills.
Supervisors: Dr Donna Denton and Professor Sharad Kumar
Supervisor contact email: donna.denton@unisa.edu.au
