For a better experience, click the icon above to turn off Compatibility Mode, which is only for viewing older websites.
Faculty Experts
Associate professor, Department of Biology
College of Arts and Sciences
Expertise:
Developmental neurobiology
Developmental behavior
Marenda studies how the brain’s neurons control organisms, and he especially looks at the way genes influence the development of the brain and the central nervous system. Many of the genes his research focuses on are related to human diseases, such as Pitt-Hopkins syndrome and alzheimer’s disease. Much of his research is done through looking at living specimens of fruit flies, for which he has also done research into toxicity related to artificial sweeteners.
More information about Marenda
For news media inquiries, contact Frank Otto at fmo26@drexel.edu or 215.571.4244.
Is This Artificial Sweetener Too Dangerous to Eat?
A study on the birth control effect that the artificial sweetener behind Trivia has on fruit flies, authored by Sean O'Donnell, PhD, and Daniel Marenda, PhD, both professors in the College of Arts and Sciences, was the focus of a June 1 Food52 article. They were both quoted in a related story on the website of WESH-TV (NBC-2, Orlando, Florida), which was picked up by network affiliates across the country. Fox News' "The Daily Meal" also covered the study on June 12.
Popular Artificial Sweetener Also Works as Pesticide and Insect Birth Control
Sean O’Donnell, PhD, a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, was quoted in a May 23 UPI story on a study he did with Daniel Marenda, PhD, an associate professor in the College, that showed the sweetener in Truvia is deadly to young flies and can be an effective pesticide. Philly Voice also reported the story.
7 Awesome Discoveries Made by Kids
Daniel Marenda, PhD, an associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, was mentioned in a LiveScience story on Sept. 2 about research discoveries made by kids. His son contributed to research on the toxic effect of the sweetener erythritol on fruit flies.
Certain Artificial Sweeteners May be Toxic to Fruit Flies
Research co-led by Daniel Marenda, PhD, an associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Sean O’Donnell, PhD, a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, on the toxic effects of the sugar substitute erythritol, was featured in a story on GoodHousekeeping.com and Women’s Health Magazine on June 23-24. The discovery was inspired by a science fair project of Marenda’s son.
Boy scientist in Manayunk finds sweetener that kills fruit flies
Daniel Marenda, PhD, an associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Sean O’Donnell, PhD, a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, were quoted in stories about a study they co-led which identified a common sugar substitute, erythritol, as a potential safe and effective insecticide. The research, inspired by a science fair project of Marenda’s son, was featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer, WHYY/Newsworks, CBSNews.com, Science, The Verge, Discovery News, Live Science, Science News’ Student Science, Xinhua (the state press agency of China) and other outlets on June 4.
Common Artificial Sweetener Likely a Safe, Effective Birth Control, Pesticide for Insects, Drexel Study Finds
Erythritol, a non-nutritive sweetener found in products like Truvia, has proven effective in killing fly larvae and slowing down their egg production, making it a good candidate for human and pet-safe pesticide use.
Double Duty: Proteins Associated with Schizophrenia Hang Around Longer Than Previously Thought
While most scientists believe that TCF4 proteins degraded and disappeared after they assigned jobs to cells in the nervous system, a Drexel University research team discovered that the proteins were hanging around afterward and telling the cells how to do those jobs.
You Catch (and Kill) More Flies with This Sweetener
In a study that began as a sixth-grade science fair project, researchers at Drexel University have found that a popular non-nutritive sweetener, erythritol, may be an effective and human-safe insecticide. Erythritol, the main component of the sweetener Truvia®, was toxic to fruit flies in the Drexel team’s study.