Lin Tian | |
---|---|
Occupation | Scientific Director |
Academic background | |
Alma mater | Northwestern University |
Academic work | |
Discipline | Neuroscience |
Institutions | Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience |
Lin Tian is a Chinese-American neuroscientist and biochemist. She is a Scientific Director of the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience in Jupiter,FL,and was formerly a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at the University of California,Davis. [1] Tian is known for her research in the fields of neuroscience and biochemical engineering. She develops and applies molecular tools to understand brain function and dysfunction at the individual,neuronal level.
Tian received her Ph.D. in biochemistry,Molecular and Cellular Biology at Northwestern University,where she studied the mechanism of protein processing by the proteasome. Her graduate advisor was Andreas Matouschek. [2]
From 2007 to 2009,Tian was a postdoctoral scholar at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's (HHMI) Janelia Research Campus,working with Loren Looger and Karel Svoboda. [3] During this time,Tian began her work on the development of tools for enhanced neuronal imaging and cell-specific labeling. [4] She created protein-based tools,including improved GCaMP indicators,for studying and manipulating the brain and other biological samples. [5]
Tian started her lab at UC Davis in 2012 as an assistant professor,later becoming a Professor and Vice Chair. [6] [7] In October 2023,she became a Scientific Director at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience. [1] [8]
Tian is best known for creating a new classes of genetically encoded indicators for detecting neurotransmitters and neuromodulators,such as serotonin and dopamine. [9] [10] She and her team use molecular scaffolds and computational modeling to create the biosensors,which can dynamically map neurotransmitter flow in the brain. [11] These tools are distributed through UNC NeuroTools [12] and Addgene. [13] Her work has implications for drug discovery,aiding in the identification of new therapeutic targets. [14]
She also worked with David E. Olson and developed a method to identify the hallucinogenic potential of psychedelic compounds. [15] [16] They engineered psychLight5,a “sensor that glows in the presence of a hallucinogenic compound when it interacts with a serotonin receptor." [15]
Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states and an apparent expansion of consciousness. Also referred to as classic hallucinogens or serotonergic hallucinogens,the term psychedelic is sometimes used more broadly to include various types of hallucinogens,such as those which are atypical or adjacent to psychedelia like salvia and MDMA,respectively.
Monoamine neurotransmitters are neurotransmitters and neuromodulators that contain one amino group connected to an aromatic ring by a two-carbon chain (such as -CH2-CH2-). Examples are dopamine,norepinephrine and serotonin.
The mushroom bodies or corpora pedunculata are a pair of structures in the brain of arthropods,including insects and crustaceans,and some annelids. They are known to play a role in olfactory learning and memory. In most insects,the mushroom bodies and the lateral horn are the two higher brain regions that receive olfactory information from the antennal lobe via projection neurons. They were first identified and described by French biologist Félix Dujardin in 1850.
Neurochemistry is the study of chemicals,including neurotransmitters and other molecules such as psychopharmaceuticals and neuropeptides,that control and influence the physiology of the nervous system. This particular field within neuroscience examines how neurochemicals influence the operation of neurons,synapses,and neural networks. Neurochemists analyze the biochemistry and molecular biology of organic compounds in the nervous system,and their roles in such neural processes including cortical plasticity,neurogenesis,and neural differentiation.
Neuromodulation is the physiological process by which a given neuron uses one or more chemicals to regulate diverse populations of neurons. Neuromodulators typically bind to metabotropic,G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) to initiate a second messenger signaling cascade that induces a broad,long-lasting signal. This modulation can last for hundreds of milliseconds to several minutes. Some of the effects of neuromodulators include:altering intrinsic firing activity,increasing or decreasing voltage-dependent currents,altering synaptic efficacy,increasing bursting activity and reconfigurating synaptic connectivity.
Lisuride,sold under the brand name Dopergin among others,is a monoaminergic medication of the ergoline class which is used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease,migraine,and high prolactin levels. It is taken by mouth.
The 5-HT2A receptor is a subtype of the 5-HT2 receptor that belongs to the serotonin receptor family and is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). The 5-HT2A receptor is a cell surface receptor,but has several intracellular locations.
5-Fluoro-α-methyltryptamine,also known as PAL-544,is a putative stimulant,entactogen,and psychedelic tryptamine derivative related to α-methyltryptamine (αMT). It has been found to act as a well-balanced serotonin-norepinephrine-dopamine releasing agent,a 5-HT2A receptor agonist,and a potent and specific MAO-A inhibitor. which suggests that 5-fluoro-αMT could be an active psychedelic in humans,although it is not known to have been tested in humans and could be dangerous due to its strong inhibition of MAO-A.
GCaMP is a genetically encoded calcium indicator (GECI) initially developed in 2001 by Junichi Nakai. It is a synthetic fusion of green fluorescent protein (GFP),calmodulin (CaM),and M13,a peptide sequence from myosin light-chain kinase. When bound to Ca2+,GCaMP fluoresces green with a peak excitation wavelength of 480 nm and a peak emission wavelength of 510 nm. It is used in biological research to measure intracellular Ca2+ levels both in vitro and in vivo using virally transfected or transgenic cell and animal lines. The genetic sequence encoding GCaMP can be inserted under the control of promoters exclusive to certain cell types,allowing for cell-type specific expression of GCaMP. Since Ca2+ is a second messenger that contributes to many cellular mechanisms and signaling pathways,GCaMP allows researchers to quantify the activity of Ca2+-based mechanisms and study the role of Ca2+ ions in biological processes of interest.
The Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI),is a research facility located in Jupiter,Florida. Its research focuses on brain function and neural circuits,using techniques to visualize microscopic molecular processes. It is the first institute established by the Max Planck Society in North America.
A genetically engineered fluorescent protein that changes its fluorescence when bound to the neurotransmitter glutamate. Glutamate-sensitive fluorescent reporters are used to monitor the activity of presynaptic terminals by fluorescence microscopy. GluSnFRs are a class of optogenetic sensors used in neuroscience research. In brain tissue,two-photon microscopy is typically used to monitor GluSnFR fluorescence.
Anne M. Andrews is an American academic,the Richard Metzner Endowed Chair in Clinical Neuropharmacology,Professor of Chemistry &Biochemistry,and Professor of Psychiatry &Behavioral Sciences at the University of California,Los Angeles. Andrews is known for her work on the study of the serotonin system with a special focus on how the serotonin transporter modulates complex behaviors including anxiety,mood,stress responsiveness,and learning and memory.
Sheena Josselyn is a Canadian neuroscientist and a full professor of psychology and physiology at Hospital for Sick Children and The University of Toronto. Josselyn studies the neural basis of memory,specifically how the brain forms and stores memories in rodent models. She has made critical contributions to the field of Neuronal Memory Allocation and the study of engrams.
Parastoo ("Parry") Hashemi is an Iranian-British neural engineer at Imperial College London.
David E. Olson is an American chemist and neuroscientist. He is an associate professor of chemistry,biochemistry and molecular medicine at the University of California,Davis,and is the founding director of the UC Davis Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics.
Fiber photometry is a calcium imaging technique that captures 'bulk' or population-level calcium (Ca2+) activity from specific cell-types within a brain region or functional network in order to study neural circuits Population-level calcium activity can be correlated with behavioral tasks,such as spatial learning,memory recall and goal-directed behaviors. The technique involves the surgical implantation of fiber optics into the brains of living animals. The benefits to researchers are that optical fibers are simpler to implant,less invasive and less expensive than other calcium methods,and there is less weight and stress on the animal,as compared to miniscopes. It also allows for imaging of multiple interacting brain regions and integration with other neuroscience techniques. The limitations of fiber photometry are low cellular and spatial resolution,and the fact that animals must be securely tethered to a rigid fiber bundle,which may impact the naturalistic behavior of smaller mammals such as mice.
Optogenetics began with methods to alter neuronal activity with light,using e.g. channelrhodopsins. In a broader sense,optogenetic approaches also include the use of genetically encoded biosensors to monitor the activity of neurons or other cell types by measuring fluorescence or bioluminescence. Genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECIs) are used frequently to monitor neuronal activity,but other cellular parameters such as membrane voltage or second messenger activity can also be recorded optically. The use of optogenetic sensors is not restricted to neuroscience,but plays increasingly important roles in immunology,cardiology and cancer research.
Dr. Shalini Prasad is a biological engineer,Cecil H. and Ida Green Professor of Systems Biology Science,and head of the Bioengineering Department at The University of Texas at Dallas. She was elected to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering College of Fellows in February 2022 "for pioneering contributions in engineering sweat wearables for disease tracking and management for chronic diseases and prognostic monitoring in pandemics." Dr. Shalini Prasad has had a number of faculty positions at many universities. She is the co-founder of a small technology company called EnLiSense LLC. And her research consists of developing technology to monitor individuals to benefit the health industry.
Nako Nakatsuka is a Japanese researcher and Assistant Professor of Neurotechnology at EPFL. Her research is focused on pioneering translational technologies that directly impact human health. Her research group,the Laboratory of Chemical Nanotechnology (CHEMINA) works at the intersection of chemistry,engineering,and neuroscience to develop innovative strategies to support patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases. She was awarded the 2023 Prix Zonta.