By generating >30,000 mutant lines, screening for phenotypes that are relevant for the development, physiology and maintenance of the nervous system, and mapping many of these mutants using state-of-the-art genetic and genomic techniques, we identified 165 fly genes that play essential roles in these processes, most of which are conserved in human. Furthermore, through collaboration with clinical researchers, we were able to utilize this information to identify novel human disease causing genes and variants.
