# Light-driven control of neurons in vitro and in vivo

> **NIH NIH R35** · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · 2022 · $593,252

## Abstract

The long term goal of proposal is the development and testing of new optical technology for
photochemical control of neuronal function. The caged neurotransmitters developed we have
previously made have been widely used by many research groups around the world. An important
feature of our work is that we have forged long-term collaborative relationships with noted
physiologists. These interactions have been vital the development of useful and important caged
compounds as it is the biological problems that define the probes. In this proposal we seek to
address several major gaps in the area of optical chemical methods that are used for
photochemical probing of neuronal function. Namely: multi-color photoactuation is not a
standard technique; caged compounds are not designed for 2-photon excitation a priori.
Photoreversible drugs for “next generation” (opto)pharmacology; genetically targeted
photoswitchable, subunit specific probes to control behavior. The overall goal of this proposal is
to develop new photochemical tools that allow optical control of a wide variety neuronal
signaling processes in vitro and in vivo.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10372974
- **Project number:** 5R35NS111600-04
- **Recipient organization:** ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI
- **Principal Investigator:** Graham Ellis-Davies
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $593,252
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-05-01 → 2027-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10372974

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10372974, Light-driven control of neurons in vitro and in vivo (5R35NS111600-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10372974. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*