Fruit Flies to Future Cures: Where Genetics Research can Lead

While some students run experiments in hours, Jacob Lines plans his in generations. Fruit fly generations, that is.

Jacob Lines’ connection to Tucson and the University of Arizona goes back a generation: It is where his parents, who are both from southern Arizona, studied and met. Later, the family moved to Alaska and Spokane, Washington, but Jacob is glad to be back in Tucson, where some extended family still lives: “I'll take the heat over the snow any day,” he affirms. 

Growing up, Jacob was always interested in science, and in particular, in biology. Genetics, in high school, came naturally: “It made sense to me, and I picked it up quickly.” Since Genetics is rarely offered as an undergraduate degree, Jacob chose the next closest thing as a major – molecular and cellular biology, where genetics is part of the curriculum. 

When it was time to look for a lab position, he came across Keith Maggert and his work with fruit flies. The main attraction was the emphasis on genetics. When Jacob researched the lab’s work he thought “that sounds really cool. And it is, which is why I’m still here.” 

Jacob increased his lab time in the summer of 2025, when he participated in the UBRP program. 40 hours a week for the entire summer meant he got a lot done and finished a project started in his junior year. He even got a start on what is going to be his master’s thesis (he is in the Accelerated Master’s Program, graduating from the bachelor portion and continuing another year for the master’s degree). Both these are – of course – related to fruit fly genetics. Being in the lab full-time also allowed him to participate meaningfully in the team’s work and the weekly lab meetings. “There is a reason that advisors recommend being involved in a lab – coursework and lab work really helped each other.” 

He describes his work as different from his classmates’ experiments: “I'm planning out different genetic crosses and then breed different flies together. Then I have to keep track of all these different genetic elements as they move from generation to generation.” There is a lot of up-front work and then a period of waiting for the offspring to mature. For Jacob, the Danny Brower Scholarship is a validation that his work is a helpful contribution to science. He considers going into research in drug development for therapies in cancer, autoimmune disorders, or rare genetic diseases once he has gained his master’s. 

As he prepares for his final year, his meticulous to-do lists as well as participation in the Undergraduate Research Club, or UJC, are going to come in handy. This club, in which he served as board member this year, was founded two years ago to ease the transition to graduate school. Journal clubs are common at the graduate level, but not for undergrads. In graduate classes, students are faced with a multitude of papers, and preparing for analyzing and discussing this specific type of publication gives participants a head start. And because the group selects the papers themselves, “hopefully, it’s not boring.” 

Asked whether he wanted to give a shout-out to someone who has helped him a lot in the last years, Jacob does not want to single out any individual. He affirms that many of his classmates have been helpful and lists quite a few professors, not wanting to leave anyone out. 

Congratulations, Jacob!