NeuroNex Innovation Award: Southwest Magnetogenetics Project (SoMa)

为了更好地了解大脑的功能，科学家们正在寻找新的方法来激活实验动物的特定神经元，而不限制它们的行为。这项研究将创造出依靠磁场刺激特定的转基因神经元的技术。这种“生磁”技术的一个主要优点是，磁场很容易穿透骨骼、皮肤和组织，这使得科学家更容易探测体内深处特定细胞的作用，而不需要使用任何植入设备，否则会干扰动物的正常行为或对目标组织造成损害。更好地了解实验动物的大脑是如何工作的，将有助于揭示大脑中计算的基本原理，这些原理可能适用于包括人类在内的所有动物物种。对大脑的深入了解是开发更好的神经疾病诊断和治疗方法的关键，也是改进像神经网络这样的人工系统的关键，这些系统被设计成像人脑一样运作。这项工作的重点是了解生物磁性纳米颗粒如何与温度敏感的离子通道相连，使特定的细胞对磁场敏感。这项工作的主要目标将是为这些磁生通道的作用机制发展一个全面的理论，并创造一套转基因果蝇系，这些果蝇系对磁场表现出强大的行为反应。这些产磁蝇系将与Gal4/UAS系统兼容，从而使产磁通道可以很容易地靶向特定细胞。这项工作的结果将是对磁发生机制的基本理解和一组转基因果蝇菌株，这将使研究人员能够探测这种常见模式生物的神经回路。

To better understand how the brain functions, scientists are in search of new methods to activate specific neurons in laboratory animals without restricting their behaviors. This research effort will create technologies that rely on magnetic fields to stimulate specific, genetically modified neurons. A major advantage of this "magnetogenetic" technology is fact that magnetic fields easily penetrate bone, skin and tissue making it easier for scientists to probe the role of specific cells deep within the body without using any implanted devices that could otherwise interfere with normal animal behavior or cause damage to the target tissue. Better understanding of how the brain works in laboratory animals will help reveal fundamental principles of computation in the brain that may apply across animal species to include humans. This deeper understanding of the brain is key for developing better diagnosis and treatments for neural disorders and to improve artificial systems like neural networks designed to operate like the human brain. This work will focus on understanding how biogenic magnetic nanoparticles tethered to temperature sensitive ion channels render specific cells sensitive to magnetic fields. The major goals of this effort will be the development of a comprehensive theory for the mechanism of action for these magnetogenetic channels, and the creation of a set of transgenic fly lines that display robust behavioral responses to magnetic fields. These magnetogenetic fly lines will be compatible with Gal4/UAS system such that magnetogenetic channels can be easily targeted to specific cells. The outcome of this work will be both a fundamental understanding of magnetogenetic mechanisms and a set of transgenic fly strains that will empower researchers to probe neural circuits in this common model organism.