Edward Perez-Reyes, PhD
Edward Perez-Reyes, PhD, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology, was awarded a new grant from the National Institutes of Health for the development of novel tools for the study of neural circuits. The new $1.3 million R01 grant is the first-ever BRAIN initiative research grant awarded to the University of Virginia. The Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) is a program launched in 2013 by President Barack Obama.
The Perez-Reyes lab develops gene therapies based on adeno-associated virus (AAV). This experience was applied to improve Cre-dependent AAVs, which are widely used to determine the function and connectivity of neurons in Cre-driver mice. Recent studies have sounded the alarm that these AAVs have leaky or off-target expression in the absence of Cre. This raises serious questions on conclusions drawn from thousands of published papers.
The new R01 will fund the development of Cre-dependent AAVs that deliver genes that act as sensors and genes that allow control of neural activity. These AAVs will be deposited in Addgene, a non-profit company that excels at sharing plasmids and AAVs with the scientific community. These novel tools will be used to understand the role of neurons in brain disorders, which can then be targeted to cure diseases such as addiction, pain, and epilepsy.
Seed funds for this project were provided by the UVA Brain Institute. The new grant will fund the training of BIMS graduate student Madison Failor, training of BioLAB visiting graduate students Aleksandra Maciejczuk, Magda Pikus, Patrycja Jakubiec, Mariia Oliinyk, and training of SRIP student Jessica Massey.
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