Entry Date:
April 14, 2009

Multiple-Color, Optical Activation and Silencing of Neurons

Principal Investigator Edward Boyden


We have engineered molecular sensitizers that make genetically specified neurons that can be activated by pulses of blue light, and silenced by pulses of yellow light. This revolutionary technology enables us to reprogram neural networks at the millisecond timescale, opening up the systematic analysis and engineering of the brain, as well as completely novel methods of therapy. We are applying molecular engineering, viral engineering, and optical engineering to make this dream a reality.