Temporally precise, noninvasive control of neural circuitry is a long-sought goal of neuroscientists and biomedical engineers. Stanford University researchers in the laboratory of Dr.
Researchers in Prof. Karl Deisseroth's lab have discovered and engineered new microbial opsin proteins and cell trafficking tools to enable selective cell-type specific, light-sensitive switches for neuromodulation.
Researchers in the laboratories of Dr. Karl Deisseroth and Dr. Peter Hegemann have engineered mutant ChR2 (Channelrhodopsin-2) proteins with light-sensitivity that is increased by orders of magnitude compared to wild-type ChR2.
Researchers in Dr. Karl Deisseroth's lab have engineered a channelrhodopsin variant that can be stimulated by red light and has fast stimulation frequencies. In neurons, channelrhodopsins are light activated protein channels that induce action potential firing.
Stanford and Rockefeller researchers have identified and developed dynein-specific inhibitors that have significant medical applications involving mitotic spindle assembly, organelle transport, and primary cilia formation.