Drosophila Visual System Toolbox: From Fundamental to Emerging Techniques

TOPICAL COLLECTIONS

Guest Editors

Rana El-Danaf

New York University Abu Dhabi

Dr. Rana El-Danaf completed her PhD in neuroscience from Virginia Commonwealth University under the supervision of Dr. William Guido and her postdoctoral training with neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman at the University of California San Diego and the Stanford University School of Medicine. She is currently a senior research scientist at New York University Abu Dhabi, where she is part of the Neural Development Group headed by Dr. Claude Desplan. Dr. El-Danaf investigated glaucoma using rodent models, identifying retinal ganglion cell subtypes that are vulnerable to neurodegeneration for early biomarker detection. Using the Drosophila visual system, she recently discovered that a class of optic lobe neurons, known as lobula columnar neurons, originates from four distinct stem cell regions, revealing convergence from multiple progenitor pools and providing new insight into evolutionary brain organization. Beyond her research, she is committed to science outreach and actively engages in efforts to connect advanced science with the broader community.

Khaled Ben El Kadhi

New York University Abu Dhabi

Dr. Khaled Ben El Kadhi is a research scientist at NYU Abu Dhabi specializing in developmental neurobiology and live cell microscopy. He obtained his PhD in molecular biology from the University of Montreal under the mentorship of Dr. Sébastien Carréno. His doctoral research elucidated molecular mechanisms underlying Lowe syndrome in a Drosophila model system, characterizing how phosphoinositide homeostasis regulates cytokinesis. Following his PhD, Dr. Ben El Kadhi joined the laboratory of Dr. Claude Desplan as a postdoctoral fellow, first at New York University and later at NYU Abu Dhabi. His current work uses Drosophila to investigate the genetic and temporal cues that govern neuronal diversity and cell fate. As guest editor for this special issue, he brings extensive expertise bridging molecular cell biology with modern developmental genetics to highlight emerging approaches in the field.

Collection Overview

The Drosophila fruit fly has emerged as a prime model in scientific research, shaping knowledge across genetics, neuroscience, and disease modeling for more than a century. More specifically, the Drosophila visual system, which includes the retina, lamina, medulla, lobula, and lobula plate, remains an essential model for understanding fundamental principles of neural development, synaptic assembly, and functional computation. Its layered and anatomically accessible structure enables genetic manipulation and visualization approaches that can be difficult to achieve in other systems.

Recent years have seen rapid advances in technologies applied to this model, including single-cell sequencing, advanced microscopy, functional assays, connectome-based circuit analysis, and refined genetic tools such as CRISPR-Cas9 applications. This special collection will serve as a critical resource that details foundational tools as well as the latest advancements and emerging methodologies in this important field.