# Application and extension of dye-based food consumption methodology in Drosophila

> **NIH NIH R03** · VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $38,813

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract: Over the past 100+ years, studies in Drosophila melanogaster (Drosophila or
flies) have contributed enormously to our understanding of the genetic basis for sex-determination,
development, behavior, aging, disease and many other normal as well as pathophysiological processes. More
recently, the fly model has also been used to explore the contribution of environmental factors in health and
disease. Key among the environmental factors being investigated is diet. Altering the diet of flies has profound
effects on their physiology, progression of disease markers and aging. For example, dietary restriction in flies
(via reduced concentrations of nutrients) extends lifespan as found in other species. Changes in the fly diet
also greatly impact egg-laying (an indicator of resource utilization) and can lead to the development of a type II
diabetes-like state. Furthermore, our preliminary studies indicate that diet has a pronounced effect on ethanol
sedation behavior in flies. Given the effects of diet in flies, the ongoing global obesity epidemic and the
increasing incidence of obesity-related diseases, studies in flies hold tremendous promise for continuing to
uncover key mechanisms underlying diet-related phenomena that could ultimately translate into improved
prevention and treatment of a multitude of diet-related diseases in humans. We have consequently begun
developing dye-based methods (Con-Ex) for measuring food consumption in flies. The overarching goals of the
studies in this application are to (i) use our previously established dye-based Con-Ex feeding method with the
dye Blue-1 as a food tracer to assess intake of diets that alter longevity—and importantly do so across the
lifespans of flies and (ii) extend the utility of the method by identifying and validating dyes in addition to Blue-1
for use in Con-Ex studies. The proposed studies will address an important question related to the effects of diet
on longevity and will lay the foundation for more sophisticated dietary consumption analyses in flies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9980753
- **Project number:** 5R03AG058082-02
- **Recipient organization:** VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHAEL S. GROTEWIEL
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $38,813
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-08-01 → 2022-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9980753

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9980753, Application and extension of dye-based food consumption methodology in Drosophila (5R03AG058082-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9980753. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*