Recipients: Theresa Loveless, Jerzy Szablowski
To measure gene expression one typically has to perform a biopsy of the tissues. This process is almost always invasive. In some cases, such as in the case of the brain, such a biopsy is used rarely, as a last resort, in very specific cases, such as diagnosis of brain cancer. Additionally, biopsies are destructive to the site of the tissue being studied. Consequently, it is impossible to study the same site twice e.g. to monitor changes in gene expression during the development of disease, aging, or in normal behavior. To resolve these issues, the PIs leverage new technology that will enable monitoring of the gene expression, gene editing, and transduction of the brain and other tissues with a simple blood test. The developed methodology will be able to monitor specific sites in the body over multiple timepoints, allowing for noninvasive recording of gene expression histories in deep tissues.
