Fruit Fly Retina (IMAGE) Northwestern University Caption The fruit fly's eye is an intricate pattern of many different specialized cells, and scientists use it as a workhorse to study what goes wrong in human cancer. In a new study of the fly's eye, Northwestern University researchers have gained insight into how developing cells normally switch to a restricted, or specialized, state and how that process might go wrong in cancer. Credit Northwestern University Usage Restrictions Must include credit License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.