ABOVE: Mouse neurons targeted to selectively produce chemogenetic activator channel (red)
COURTESY OF CHRISTOPHER MAGNUS
Researchers have come up with a new method to control brain cells in live animals using specially designed receptor proteins that respond to the drug varenicline. While drug-responsive receptors have been around for sometime, the new incarnations, described today (March 14) in Science, have been structurally optimized, as has the drug itself, to create a novel repertoire of precise and powerful chemogenetic resources.
“It really is an exciting new development that has great potential not only for basic research but potentially also in translation and applications for human use,” says neuroscientist Christian Lüscher of the University of Geneva who was not involved with the research.
“There is a tremendous need for novel medications that have higher selectivity . . . , higher potency at very low doses, and hence less side effects. And this technology potentially ...
