Research Highlights

For years, NSF's Next Generation Networks for Neuroscience program, also known as NeuroNex, has worked to help develop new tools and theories to solve the mysteries of the brain. Now, NSF and a group of international partners are working to put those resources in the hands of researchers around the world and create international partnerships to accelerate the next generation of neuroscience.

In a recent article, posted on ConvergenceRI, Christopher Moore, Professor of Neuroscience and Associate Director of the Carney Institute of Brain Science, discusses the value and potential of bioluminescent optogenetics or BL-OG.

As the world grapples with the SARS-COV2 Pandemic and most schools remain closed for the unforeseeable future, virtual learning has become a part of the new normal.  Recently, the Bioluminescence Hub launched a virtual Junior Trainee Club — a program designed for 9-14-year-olds looking to learn STEM concepts and practice some scientific skills.

The Shaner laboratory hosted three excellent undergraduate students this summer. "In addition to getting a comprehensive education in biochemical and microbiological lab techniques, we were all able to develop and hone our ability to think practically and creatively while designing, not simply carrying out scientific experiments and explorations," says Patrick Friend, a student of Amherst College.

For the first time, researchers have found a non-invasive method to potentially treat spinal cord injuries using light naturally emitted by living organisms — a phenomenon referred to as bioluminescence — as a way to fire up specifically targeted neurons below the site of injury.

In March 2019, the NeuroNex Technology Hub at Brown University hosted 13 undergraduates from colleges and universities across the United States and Canada as part of its annual Marine Bioluminescence Practicum at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.