# Resource Core 1 - Primate/rodent Molecular Anatomy Core (PMAC)

> **NIH NIH U19** · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $508,228

## Abstract

Resource Core 1 - Primate/rodent Molecular Anatomy Core (PMAC)
 Leads: Kristin Overton PhD and Karl Deisseroth MD PhD
Summary
The PMAC will develop, validate, and implement (in the real-world setting of the U19 team
projects/collaborations), next-generation technologies for studying circuit structure-function relationships. The
PMAC involves guided use and refinement of state-of-the-art molecular, viral, and anatomical strategies across
projects, continuously adapted and modernized to keep up with (and drive) this fast-moving field over the course
of the 5-year overall project. The PMAC will address key technologically-intensive questions that will
continuously arise across projects as three main categories of primate-capable molecular and anatomical tool
will be developed for the broader U19 team: 1) latest-generation hydrogel-based volume acquisition, registration,
quantification, and analysis across species, including molecular analysis of the same cells with known activity
patterns during behavior via IEG-based activity traces using two of our hydrogel-tissue chemistry methods
(CLARITY and STARmap; 2) continuously-updated viral vectors for anatomy/activity visualization and causal
control, precision-designed to take into account both animal history (including past virus exposure/immune
status) and spectral overlap relevant to combinatorial usage of multiple optical tools together; and 3) versatile
viral tools for tagging (with fluorescent and activity-sensing-or-control tools) circuit elements naturally used
during specific behaviors, or for targeting cells based on many features of wiring, activity, and genetics. Aligning
the functional (activity) features of cortical neurons with their genetic profiles is crucial. For the PMAC, we note
the superb timing in that our recent development of STARmap (Wang et al. Science 2018) will allow addressing
this issue in a general sense, assigning deep typology and rich molecular signature information (hundreds of
genes, and even >1000 genes per cell) to the same individual neurons and ensembles observed to be naturally
and causally involved in behavior. The PMAC will pay particular attention to integrative methods for crossing
scales of observation, consulting with the DSC regarding effective means for storing and sending the massive
datasets. Analysis of the datasets will be with methods developed by the computational RP3 and the DSC.
Results from U19 teams in the course of implementation, relating to optical figures of merit, including signal-to-
noise, aberrations, and speed, will be fed back to the PMAC in a tight closed-loop workflow guided by real-world
application, a key opportunity for fundamental science itself.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10490236
- **Project number:** 5U19NS118284-02
- **Recipient organization:** STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Kristin Engberg
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $508,228
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-17 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10490236

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10490236, Resource Core 1 - Primate/rodent Molecular Anatomy Core (PMAC) (5U19NS118284-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10490236. Licensed CC0.

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