Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 2, 2026
09:36
Lineage-reprogramming of Pericyte-derived Cells of the Adult Human Brain into Induced Neurons
Published on: May 12, 2014
12.7K
Reprogramming the brain with synthetic neurobiology
Elizabeth Gardner1, Andrew Ellington1
1Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas, 2500 Speedway, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
Current Opinion in Biotechnology
|November 21, 2018
Summary
Synthetic neurobiology offers advanced tools for understanding the complex mammalian brain. This approach uses genetic engineering for cell specificity, mapping neural connections, and programming neural development for systems neuroscience.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Synthetic Neurobiology
- Genetics
Background:
- The mammalian brain is exceptionally complex.
- Traditional neuroscience methods like microscopy and electrophysiology are low-throughput.
- There is a need for scalable techniques to study complex neural systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce synthetic neurobiology as a scalable approach for systems neuroscience.
- To highlight the potential of genetic techniques in understanding brain mechanisms.
- To outline how synthetic neurobiology can map neural circuits and development.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing genetic techniques for cell-type specificity.
- Mapping the connectome (neural connections).
- Recording and analyzing neural activation patterns.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated the potential of genetic tools for precise neural circuit analysis.
- Established a framework for understanding neural development through synthetic biology.
- Enabled scalable approaches for systems neuroscience research.
Conclusions:
- Synthetic neurobiology provides powerful, scalable tools for advancing neuroscience.
- Genetic engineering is key to dissecting brain complexity and function.
- This field promises a deeper understanding of brain mechanisms and development.
Related Concept Videos
02:55Synthetic Biology
5.6K
Synthetic biology is an interdisciplinary science that involves using principles from disciplines such as engineering, molecular biology, cell biology, and systems biology. It involves remodeling existing organisms from nature or constructing completely new synthetic organisms for applications such as protein or enzyme production, bioremediation, value-added macromolecule production, and the addition of desirable traits to crops, to name a few.
Golden rice
Golden rice is a genetically modified...
Golden rice
Golden rice is a genetically modified...
5.6K
01:28Synthetic Disvision of Polynomials
179
Synthetic division is an efficient algorithmic approach for dividing a polynomial by a linear binomial of the form x - c, where c is a real number. This method is helpful due to its streamlined process, which avoids the more cumbersome steps involved in the traditional long division of polynomials. It simplifies computation and serves as a practical tool for evaluating polynomials and identifying their factors.To perform synthetic division, one begins by listing the coefficients of the...
179
01:14Introduction to Nuclear Reprogramming
2.3K
Nuclear reprogramming is the process of switching gene expression of one cell type to that of another cell type, usually from a differentiated cell state to an undifferentiated cell state. Differentiation occurs during processes such as development and morphogenesis, tissue regeneration, and malignancy. Cells can also be artificially induced to reprogram their gene expression by techniques such as nuclear transfer, induced pluripotency, and cell fusion. Such techniques have many applications in...
2.3K
01:24Methods of Nuclear Reprogramming
2.1K
Nuclear reprogramming is a process of transforming one cell type into an unrelated cell type by epigenetic changes that alter the cell’s original gene expression pattern. Such epigenetic changes force cells to express a different set of genes, which play a significant role in inducing transformation into other cell types. Nuclear reprogramming offers applications in reproductive cloning for livestock propagation and regenerative medicine — developing patient-specific cells for...
2.1K
01:29Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming
2.7K
Reprogramming alters the gene expression in somatic cells, transforming them into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells over several generations. Scientists can reprogram cells by introducing genes for four transcription factors—Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc (OSKM) by viral or non-viral methods. These factors are also known as Yamanaka factors after Shinya Yamanaka, who first generated iPS cells using mouse skin cells. Yamanaka was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012...
2.7K
01:15Opioid Analgesics: Synthetic and Semisynthetic Opioids
1.1K
Synthetic and semisynthetic opioids are pivotal in pain management and tackling opioid addiction. Semisynthetic opioids, including morphinans (morphine derivatives), oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone, have improved pharmacokinetic profiles compared to morphine. Additionally, heroin and 6-MAM (6-Monoacetylmorphine) show better CNS penetration than morphine due to heightened lipid solubility. Hydromorphone, a potent opioid, undergoes hepatic metabolism to form the active...
1.1K