Researcher uses honey bees to study fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Matt Olson / Research Profile and Impact / USask

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SASKATOON — One University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher believes that because of these similarities, honey bees can be used as a model to study the effects of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).

“Honey bees have tremendously sophisticated social behaviour that is in some ways similar to our behaviour as humans,” said Dr. Sarah Wood (DVM, PhD), associate professor at USask’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine. “Some of the clinical signs of FASD include deficits in social behaviour, so honey bees may make a great model for this disorder.”

FASD is a condition affecting individuals who were exposed to alcohol before birth, and while it can have both physical and mental impacts, it is a disorder that can be difficult to accurately diagnose. Wood said she was inspired by the use of honey bees in previous research to study autism, due to the social nature of bees and of the disorder.

The project received support from the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) Establishment Grant program, intended to support early-career researchers in building their research programs. Wood and graduate student Maria Janser will be running the project.

“The support from SHRF is incredibly important,” Wood said. “Health science research is new to me, and to be exploring honey bees as models for human disease is an exciting opportunity to expand our research impact.”

By introducing ethanol to bee larvae in their diet in the laboratory and raising them into adult bees before re-introducing them into the hive setting, researchers will study bee social behaviours as well as the genetics of the alcohol-exposed bees to get a fuller understanding of FASD in bees as a model for humans.