Overview

• This fruit fly model represents the first invertebrate system to voluntarily self-administer cocaine, overcoming prior barriers to addiction research.
• Wild-type flies naturally reject cocaine because it activates bitter-sensing receptors on their tarsal segments.
• Modified flies developed a clear preference for low-dose cocaine-laced sugar water within 16 hours and exhibited dose-dependent behaviors parallel to human reactions.
• With about 75% of human disease-related genes conserved in fruit flies, the model allows rapid genetic screens to identify addiction risk genes and therapeutic targets.
• Given that cocaine use disorder affects roughly 1.5 million Americans, researchers believe this scalable platform could significantly speed the development of effective treatments.