LIN Seminar: “Sensitive genetically encoded sensors for tracking a broad-spectrum of neurotransmitter signaling” by Lin Tian (Max Planck Florida)
April 16, 2026
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location
SELE 4289
Calendar
Download iCal FileJoin us April 16, 2026 at 4pm in SELE 4289 for a LIN Seminar featuring "Sensitive genetically encoded sensors for tracking a broad-spectrum of neurotransmitter signaling" by Lin Tian (Max Planck Florida)
Host: Rui Gao
Dr. Tian is a Scientific Director at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience. The Tian Laboratory for Optical Neurophysiology engineers biosensors and optical probes for monitoring and controlling brain activity in living, behaving research animals. Dr. Tian and her team have created a novel class of genetically encoded indicators to sense neuromodulators, enabling the precise measurement of spatiotemporal dynamics of neuromodulator release. These tools, when combined with behavioral and circuit manipulations, can reveal the brain mechanisms underlying the control of various behaviors in health and disease and serve as drug discovery platforms for the identification of novel therapeutic targets.
Dr. Tian and her research have been recognized by the National Institutes of Health Director’s New Innovator Award, W.M. Keck Foundation Research Award, Human Frontier Science Program Young Investigator Grant, Hartwell Foundation Individual Biomedical Research Award, Rita Allen Foundation Scholar Award, and NIH BRAIN Initiative grants.
Prior to joining MPFI, she was a Professor and Vice Chair in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Tian trained at Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s (HHMI) Janelia Research Campus as a postdoctoral fellow. She completed her PhD at Northwestern University.
Abstract: To study the neural circuitry, the action of one cells under the context of others, one would precisely measure and perturb specific neuronal populations and molecules in behaving animals who are specifically engaged in performing the computation or function of interest. The dataset of millions of neurons firing together underlying a behavior are required to develop and refine theories (hypotheses) explaining animal behavior in terms of brain physiology. The focus of the lab is to develop novel genetically encoded indicators based on fluorescent proteins and chemical dyes, especially targeting direct and specific measurement of a wide range of input signals with the required spatial and temporal resolutions. In this talk, I will discuss our recent progress in developing genetically encoded indicators for neuromodulators using machine-learning-based single-cell screening. I will cover the design, characterization, and applications of these genetically encoded indicators for both in vivo imaging and drug discovery. Combined with calcium imaging and optogenetics, these sensors are well positioned to enable direct functional analysis of how the spatiotemporal coding of neural input signaling mediates the plasticity and function of target circuits.
Date posted
Nov 7, 2025
Date updated
Apr 6, 2026