Charalambos ('Bambos') Kyriacou is Professor of Behavioural Genetics at the University of Leicester, UK. His research for a number of years has principally focussed on circadian rhythms (biorhythms) in a variety of organisms, but especially the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. His research group also study aggression and mating behaviour. He also collaborates with Dr Flaviano Giorgini in the Genetics Department in research using fly models to study Huntington's Disease.

In this short film, Professor Kyriacou introduces us to the value of Drosophila as a model organism and explains about the importance of biorhythms, including their relevance to human health.

This film is part of a collection of resources on the use of model organisms in medical research produced by Dr Chris Willmott and Professor Andrew Fry of the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Leicester. Funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the GENIE Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, these videos show how the use of invertebrate species such as yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) can be applicable to human medicine.