Bryan Roth, MD, PhD, and Thomas Kash, PhD were awarded a grant to develop the next generation of DREADDs for brain research.
UNC neuroscience researchers Bryan Roth and Thomas Kash received funding from the NIH BRAIN Initiative for building the next generation of DREADDS (Designer Receptor Exclusively Activated by a Designer Drug), a neuroscience tool kit that allows researchers to make a specific cell surface receptor only respond to a specific kind of drug.
The goal of their project, along with the additional BRAIN Initiative grant recipients, is to create new technologies to explore and answer questions about the brain’s neural circuitry. For the grant, Roth’s lab will create the novel DREADD technologies using cells in cultures. Kash’s lab will then evaluate the effectiveness of the new methods in animal models. Their ultimate goal, however, is to kickstart the creation of more effective treatments and cures for brain disorders.
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