Research Specialist and Screening Manager, GENIE
For the past decade the GENIE Project has been working with Janelia protein engineers, chemists and neuroscientists to extend what is possible with genetically encoded protein sensors.
As a project team we have partnered with molecular tool developers to evolve prototypes into potent scientific tools for in vivo fluorescence imaging. We have consistently improved the performance of calcium, voltage and neurotransmitter indicators. Our screening pipeline includes automated mutagenesis, a robust primary neuronal culture screen and in vivo characterization in mouse, zebrafish and Drosophila models. Our team is excited to collaborate with new 4DCP labs at Janelia as they imagine new protein tools for studying large-scale cellular structure and function. As evidenced in the 4DCP workshops, there is a need to design and implement novel sensors and effectors to measure everything from mechanical stresses to metabolic states in many cell/tissue types. We are eager to build new screening systems to quickly test and improve molecular tools uniquely suited to the goals of 4DCP.