Loren Looger uses protein engineering to create tools for studying and manipulating the brain and other biological samples. Looger’s team combines computational and evolutionary methods to create new reagents for use in characterizing and manipulating the assembly and function of neural circuits. The team designs and tests these reagents – and other tools – in collaboration with other scientists. Their projects include creating sensors for calcium, neurotransmitters, and neuromodulators; optogenetic effectors; engineered viral capsids; probes for EM and immunolabeling; and recently, designed proteins and pathways for carbon capture and other environmental remediation. Ultimately, the team’s goal is to enable better science in diverse fields and across the globe through collaboration and innovation.
Edwin Chapman has long studied how one protein triggers the release of neurotransmitters, allowing neurons to communicate. A mother’s email prompted him to investigate what happens when this protein malfunctions. A new viral vector will help scientists understand large-scale neural networks. A new tool developed at HHMI’s Janelia Research Campus lets scientists permanently mark neurons that are active at a particular time.  A new protein engineered by scientists at the Janelia Farm Research Campus fluoresces brightly each time it senses calcium, giving the scientists a way to visualize neuronal activity. The new protein is the most sensitive calcium sensor ever developed and the first to allow the detection of every neural impulse.