The Latest ‘Buzz’
4/9/2025
Mount Students and Professor Attend 66th Annual Drosophila Research Conference
Last month, Virginia A. LiVolsi, MD Professor in Biology James Fabrizio, PhD had the opportunity to take three undergraduate students in his research laboratory to the 66th Annual Drosophila Research Conference in San Diego, CA.
The three students—all juniors who are part of what they clearly refer to as Dr. Fabrizio’s ‘Fab Lab’—were a few of only 20 or so undergraduate students to attend and participate in the conference.
Simone Caruso ’26 is a biology major from Easton, PA (although she is originally from San Marcos, CA!). With hopes of becoming a doctor, she is part of UMSV’s pre-med program and is also on the UMSV softball team. Emily Maestre ’26 is a biochemistry major from Queens, NY who hopes to pursue a PhD in immunology. And Susan Rodriguez ’26 is a biology major from the Bronx, NY who has aspirations of becoming a physician assistant.
It was a remarkable achievement for Simone, Emily, and Susan to be present at a conference attended by over 2,000 professional scientists from around the globe.
“I have been attending this conference fairly regularly since 1995, first as a PhD candidate, then as a post-doctoral fellow, and, since 2002, as a faculty member here at the University,” shared Dr. Fabrizio. “This international meeting is sponsored by the Genetics Society of America (GSA) and brings in geneticists from all over the world. The vast majority of the attendees are principal investigators, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate students. Year after year, it is an honor to be able to bring some of UMSV’s dedicated undergraduates to such a prestigious event.”
Dr. Fabrizio has been running the ‘Fab Lab’ at the Mount with undergraduate students since 2003. His research focuses on the genetics of sperm development (spermatogenesis) and male infertility.
“The leading cause of male infertility is a failure at the very end of spermatogenesis during a process known as individualization, where each sperm cell is ‘shrink wrapped’ into its own membrane,” Dr. Fabrizio explained. “Indeed, a failure of individualization is responsible for the majority of human male infertility cases.”
The ‘Fab Lab’ studies a gene, mulet, that controls this final stage of spermatogenesis. They use none other than the humble fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model organism to study this process.
“Drosophila is an exceptional organism for biological research; it is easy to maintain in the laboratory, possesses strong mutational genetics, a sequenced genome, and 60% genetic homology to human beings,” added Dr. Fabrizio. “Drosophila also possesses gigantic sperm cells—almost 2 millimeters long! Thus, we can easily use Drosophila to study spermatogenesis, and due to the genetic similarity to humans, the results we obtain often apply directly to human spermatogenesis and fertility.”
Over the years, the specific objectives of the project have been to characterize mutations in the mulet gene using specific molecular markers and fluorescence microscopy, and to determine exactly where mulet is required during spermatogenesis. Most recently, Dr. Fabrizio and his students have begun to uncover the specific function of the mulet gene in sperm development.
“Briefly, a system of cables, called microtubules, extend between the sperm tails—very much like the lanes in an Olympic swimming pool,” said Dr. Fabrizio. “The protein product of the mulet gene is needed to remove these microtubules prior to the individualization process. If mulet is mutated, these microtubules remain and cause a failure of the individualization process and male sterility. In the work we presented at the conference, we found that if we force those microtubules to stick around using a genetic trick, we can mimic the mulet defect, supporting the hypothesis that the presence of the microtubules is indeed the cause of the sperm defect.”
The ’Fab Lab’ students shared how grateful they are to be able to participate in this research opportunity:
“I enjoyed the hands-on lab experience,” Emily said. “It was interesting dissecting such small subjects. I didn’t know if I would be able to, but the experience definitely reenforced my confidence in the lab. It was fun to collaborate on conducting the procedure together—putting together the results of our experiment, sharing new ideas, and working on our abstract and poster.”
Of course, after conducting the research came preparations for the conference, where the students presented a poster. Simone, Emily, and Susan themselves prepared the poster and rehearsed several times before the conference. Dr. Fabrizio pretended to be a visitor to the poster and came up with as many questions as he could to prepare them for the actual experience.
“I had several colleagues tell me over and over again how wonderful the UMSV students were,” Dr. Fabrizio reiterated. “Communicating science is such an important skill, and they did it! And they did it to people who are ‘in the know.’ Moreover, our novel findings were well received scientifically and point the way toward a whole new direction in our lab.”
It’s an experience the students will never forget.
“At the conference, I got to meet such intelligent people from all different places with different ideas,” added Emily. “Networking with these people and viewing their presentations fueled the formation of my own ideas of what I would like to do next with Drosophila research if I continue to pursue it. Getting the opportunity to present our poster and network with these people only confirmed that what I want to do with the rest of my life is pursue science, curiosity, and answers in a laboratory.”
It’s evident that the Mount is a dedicated supporter of these ‘outside the classroom’ learning experiences for our students. Dr. Fabrizio was able to use funds from his endowed professorship to sponsor a majority of the cost of the trip, as well as utilize funds from the University’s Title V grant for Hispanic-Serving Institutions with STEM majors.
Standing out as one of only a handful of undergraduate students at the conference made a world of difference for the UMSV student researchers. Many institutions around the country do not offer funding for undergraduate students to attend conferences. Likewise, professors often opt to serve as research mentors for graduate students with more experience in the field. Dr. Fabrizio is ever-grateful for the Mount’s dedication to the success of its undergraduates and the time he is able to spend teaching students one-on-one in our labs—helping them to grow into junior scientists and not just students.
“I had such an amazing time doing this research project because of how much experience I gained from it,” shared Simone. “I was able to do some hands-on research, which allowed me to learn so many new lab techniques, as well as contribute ideas for future projects. Being able to contribute to the research itself, the making of our poster, and being able to present it to the science community has brought me so much insight into the massive world of science and research. It was such an insightful experience, and I hope others will get the same amazing learning experience and opportunity I got to have.”
Attending the conference also showed the UMSV students that they are part of something much bigger than the on-campus research lab. These students are part of a community of scientists, all of whom are actively and happily engaged in the work that they do. Additionally, it showed the students how collaborative and generous science is. And, of course, students were able to network with professors, graduate students, and other undergraduates.
“Attending the Drosophila Research Conference truly expanded my knowledge about science and reminded me why I love it,” Susan reflected. “I really enjoyed working in the lab and I got excited every time we got results. The conference was a great opportunity to see scientists from all over the world presenting their research and learning about new topics. Presenting our poster was also a good experience because we got to answer questions and engage with people about our work. It felt great to see others interested in what we were doing.”
Always forward-thinking (and moving all ways forward at the Mount!), Dr. Fabrizio has future plans for continuing his research with Drosophila:
“I would like to investigate what those microtubules are doing. Are they involved in elongation of the sperm cells? Are they involved in separating the sperm cells so that the tails do not get all tangled up? Are they directly involved in sperm individualization, or is their role a passive one? Do those microtubules provide a link between the processes of sperm elongation and spermatid individualization? Every question we answer leads to more questions!”
And this just means that the work in the ‘Fab Lab’ isn’t yet done! Congratulations again to Dr. Fabrizio and his talented undergraduate students, Simone, Emily, and Susan.
About the University of Mount Saint Vincent
Founded in 1847 by the Sisters of Charity, the University of Mount Saint Vincent offers a nationally recognized liberal arts education and a select array of professional fields of study on a landmark campus overlooking the Hudson River. Committed to the education of the whole person, and enriched by the unparalleled cultural, educational, and career opportunities of New York City, the University equips students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary for lives of achievement, professional accomplishment, and leadership in the 21st century.