The goal of Hwangbo research group is to understand the molecular genetic and neuronal mechanisms underlying how bodies maintain cellular and behavior homeostasis to promote health and longevity. To this end, we use the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model organism. The fruit fly has become one of the most important model organisms in various topics of biology including development, genetics, ecology & evolutionary biology, and neuroscience.

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To study cellular homeostasis (Project 1), we characterize molecular genetic function of conserved dcaf12 gene in cell survival/death, innate immunity, and aging.

 

To study behavior homeostasis (Project 2), we investigate the function of circadian clock-controlled genes (CCGs) in sleep, feeding behavior, and aging.