Weekly BioEngineering Talks ( Lunch Provided)
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\r\nINVITED SPEAKER:
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\r\nA full-stack viral toolkit for systems neuroscience
\r\nProf. Lief Fenno, University of Texas at Austin
\r\nHost: Prof. Yoon Seok Kim
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\r\nAbstract:
\r\n Understanding and manipulating neural circuits requires technologies enabling access to specific cells, manipulation of genome structure, and delivery of increasingly complex genetic programs. I will describe viral technologies developed by my group that address each of these challenges. These include INTRSECT, a Boolean viral targeting strategy for cell-type- and circuit-specific access; VESPA, a novel split-AAV platform that enables efficient reassembly and expression of genetic payloads too large for a single AAV; and CRISPR/Cas9-based strategies for precise, cell-type- and circuit-specific gene knockdown. Together, these tools form an integrated viral toolkit for programmable access to and manipulation of neural circuits across multiple levels of biological complexity.
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\r\nBio:
\r\nDr. Lief Fenno is a physician-scientist at The University of Texas at Austin and Dell Medical School. His research integrates systems neuroscience, synthetic biology, and bioengineering to develop genetic, viral, and neuromodulation technologies for programmable control of neural circuits in vivo. His laboratory develops molecular and viral platforms for selectively accessing and manipulating defined neural populations, alongside approaches for neural stimulation and emerging therapeutic applications. His work spans fundamental circuit neuroscience, neurotechnology, and the translation of biological tools to treatment of brain disorders. Dr. Fenno is also a board-certified addiction psychiatrist, Chair of the American Psychiatric Association Council on Addiction Psychiatry, and is active in commercial scientific translation and biotechnology innovation.
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\r\nBioEngineering Talks mandatory EDBB Seminar Attendance (1st-Year PhD Students)\r\n
TBD
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