Mount Allison tackles cancer with 'green' chemistry

SACKVILLE - Two Mount Allison University professors have received funding for research equipment that will help in their efforts to fight cancer.

Biology professor Dr. Vett Lloyd and biochemistry and chemistry professor Dr. Khashayar Ghandi are searching for a cure for the disease and are looking into "green" chemistry alternatives.

Both professors are recipients of a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to establish a multi-user cell culture facility.

The news was part of a recent national NSERC announcement made by the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology) and Dr. Suzanne Fortier, president of NSERC.

Lloyd, a geneticist, studies a variety of genetic diseases, including cancer.

Lloyd uses fruit flies, known as Drosophila, in her lab, because fruit flies and humans share about two-thirds of their disease genes.

This newly acquired equipment will enable her to move to human cells (those grown in a culture) and advance her research in diseases such as cancer.

"This equipment will help us look at some of the agents we know affect certain cancers in fruit flies and see how they affect human cells," she says.

"We know that a lot of our genetics are transferable from the flies to humans, this equipment will help us see if possible cancer treatments might be as well."

Ghandi, a specialist in the area of green chemistry and free radical chemistry, says this new equipment will allow him and his research team to evaluate the biocompatibility of materials developed using green chemistry methods and testing the effects of combination of external fields as sensitizers for cancer treatment.

His research is concentrated on green chemistry, free radical chemistry, and sustainable energy sources.

The new multi-user cell culture facility will include the purchase of incubators and a biological safety cabinet, along with other core equipment, which will be used to grow mammal and insect cells.

Scheduled to arrive at Mount Allison this summer, the new resource will be used extensively by Lloyd and Ghandi as well as several of their colleagues in biology, biochemistry, and chemistry at Mount Allison.

The new equipment will also be used by researchers at l'Universite de Moncton and the National Research Centre in Moncton, making it a truly regional resource for some of Atlantic Canada's top researchers.

Culturing Fruit Flies - News


Mount Allison tackles cancer with 'green' chemistry

Lloyd uses fruit flies, known as Drosophila, in her lab, because fruit flies and humans share about two-thirds of their disease genes. This newly acquired equipment will enable her to move to human cells (those grown in a culture) and advance her



Mango diplomacy of another kind!

According to the chaps who aught to know, our mango exports suffer primarily because of, what can be termed as, the “fruit fly issue”. And “official sources” often let it be known as is their wont that “the government is considering a plan for bringing



Prepare yourself for the great depression

You buy fruit on the street and you attract fruit flies. In the outskirts. You've got to be in the outskirts to look in the window, your nose pressed up against the glass. . A lot of bad entertainment comes out of LA . Johnny Depp is one of the worst



The Two of Us: Brett Holmes and Vanessa Locke
The Two of Us: Brett Holmes and Vanessa Locke

I kill flies and spiders. Many people in Tauranga don't realise Brett's internationally recognised expertise with long hair. The role sees him on the road many times a year nationally and internationally, impressing audiences with his creative skills.



DAH offers mélange of creativity

On a similar vein, Nada described herself as an “alien” who likes to be different from the rest. “The biggest things in the world – suns, stars and the universe itself – interest me just as much as the DNA pattern of a fruit fly does,” she explained.




Culturing Fruit Flies | Gill Gallery

Fruit flies are a feeder insect often used by hobbyist to feed their pets. There are a number of different fish that will accept live fruit flies. They are the perfect live food for fish that eat live insects from the water’s surface. Fruit flies are also well known among poison dart frog owners. These insects are the recommended food for dart frogs.

Although fruit flies are known flies, they actually cannot fly. These insects do not have wings. It is unlikely that you’ll come across individual live fruit flies for sell. These insects are sold in cultures. While it is possible to setup your own cultures, you’ll need live flies to do so. Many will build their cultures by adding fifty live fruit flies to their cultures.

Fruit fly cultures are available in two different forms. The common fruit fly, also known as Drosophila melanogaster, is slightly smaller than the Drosophila hydei. A well constructed culture should produce flies for at least a month. While it is possible to purchase fruit fly cultures at some retail stores, many people will be forced to buy their culture from an online source. These cultures will begin producing flies while they ship to your house. Once the culture arrives at your home, you’ll have living flies that can be fed to your fish or poison dart frogs.

 

Culturing Fruit Flies

Many people will purchase one fruit fly culture with the intentions of setting up numerous cultures. This is an excellent way to save money. Constructing cultures isn’t too difficult. You will need a number of items to create your own cultures including live fruit flies. Therefore, it is essential that you have live flies if you wish to create a new culture.

You’ll also need to acquire containers with appropriate lids, a recipe for fruit fly food and either Excelsior or coffee filters. You can search the internet to find recipes. One of the most basic recipes calls for the following items: white vinegar, warm tap water, white sugar, yeast, instant mashed potato flakes and instant yeast. This recipe will create food for your fruit flies. This food should be placed at the bottom of the empty container.

Next, you’ll want to add coffee filters or Excelsior to your cultures. Place either of the items on top of the food inside your container. This will give the insects a place to lay their eggs. Although Excelsior is more appropriate, it is also more expensive. Coffee filters will work just fine and are much less costly.


Culturing Fruit Flies - Bookshelf

The Indian journal of entomology

The Indian journal of entomology

A SIMPLE METHOD OF MASS CULTURING MELON FRUIT-FLY, DACUS CUCURBIT ,AE COQUILLET A simple, low cost and efficient method of mass culturing D. cucurbitae to ...

Biology Laboratory Set Student Manual

Biology Laboratory Set Student Manual

MATERIALS: Stock cultures of a wild type of fruit fly; stock cultures of vestigil-winged fruit flies; 1/2-pint culture jars for crosses; ethyl ether; ...

Sexual nature, sexual culture

Sexual nature, sexual culture

CHAPTER EIGHT The Genetics of Sexual Orientation: From Fruit Flies to Humans ANGELA ML PATTATUCCI AND DEAN H. HAMER There are two proximate motivations for ...

Fruit flies (Tephritidae), phylogeny and evolution of behavior

Fruit flies (Tephritidae), phylogeny and evolution of behavior

In subsequent fruit fly studies these have been called "fruit fly type" bacteria . ... protein used in laboratory culturing and mass- rearing (Drew et al. ...

Human natures, genes, cultures, and the human prospect

Human natures, genes, cultures, and the human prospect

Fruit flies, it turns out, have their charms, which may be why they became the organism whose doings in microcosms of milk bottles and vials provided much ...

Everyday Note Directory


Flygrowers Supply Co., Your Source For Premium Fruit Fly ...
Your Premium Source For Flightless Fruit Flies Cultures and Supplies

All Products : Flygrowers Supply Co., Your Source For Premium ...
... Fruit Flies Aspen Excelsior Fruit Fly Culture Containers Fruit Fly Culture Supplies Mantis Feeder Packs Live Fruit Fly Cultures Fruit Fly Culture Kits ...

FlyCafe - The World's Best Fruit Fly Cultures - Fruit Flies ...
FlyCafe - The World's Best Flightless Fruit Flies for sale and Wingless Fruit Flies for sale. ... All of our 32 oz Fruit Fly cultures include almost a full half pound ...

Fruit Fly Culture Insect Culturing Supplies Fruit Fly ...
Fruit Flies and Culturing Supplies. Saurian Enterprises now offers two types of fruit flies, for your dining pleasure! In the past we have offered ...

Buy Flightless Fruit Fly Culture Kits to Easily make your own ...
Buy Flightless Fruit Fly Culture Supplies, Kits, Live Cultures, Containers and More