New Molecular Imaging Method To Be Used In Future Studies

New Molecular Imaging Method To Be Used In Future Studies

Alan Jasanoff is an associate professor of Biological Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His biggest quest now is to try to find new methods that would help the further investigation in the neuroscience domain. He believes that  with proper technology, questions concerning the mechanism involved in perception and the brain function that influences decision-making could be answered.

Professor Jasanoff is currently specialized in the development of new brain-imaging agents. These new agents are capable of revealing more details than older brain-imaging methods, such as PET (Positron emission tomography), fMRI (Functional magnetic resonance imaging) or traditional methods such as microscopy. He can finally explore the depths of neuroscience with the agents he has developed.

Neurotransmitters

fMRI is usually used by neuroscientists to measure the brain’s blood flow. Professor Jasanoff created a set on sensors that when used together with fMRI have a more powerful, detailed effect. This new method measures the levels of neurotransmitters and calcium, thus making brain activity more visible.

With the use of these new sensors, professor Jasanoff managed to study the effect of positive reinforcement on animal behavior and decision-making. These new techniques will also be applicable to other medical domains, because, as professor Jasanoff says, “calcium molecules are really ubiquitous ” not just in neuronal signaling but signaling throughout the body, during development, immune-cell activity and so on”.

Alan Jasanoff was always interested in science, partly because of his parents, both of them being social scientists. During his childhood he moved from Cambridge, Massachusetts to Ithaca, New York, because his parents received jobs at different universities, such as Harvard and Cornell. Professor Jasanoff also has a sister which is a professor at Harvard University. ” I'm the black sheep”, Jasanoff jokes. He started out in science through a part-time job at a laboratory at Cornell University. He would occasionally spend time learning about science from the local students and  postdoctoral fellows.

Jasanoff was interested in structural biology whilst a Harvard undergraduate. He studied molecules by using NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) and X-Ray Crystallography.

After getting his PhD in biophysics, Jasanoff moved to the Whitehead Institute from MIT, where he started independent research. His interest in neuroscience grew because of the unanswerable questions that this complex domain has to offer. At the Whitehead Institute he started work on new neuroimaging techniques.

Neuroimaging methods such as fMRI or optical imaging only provide a limited view on the brain activity. The fMRI can provide the imaging of a large brain region, whilst only being able to show an average activity. Optical imaging provide a more precise observation of neuronal activity but only in smaller regions, considered to be an invasive maneuver if done over larger brain areas.

Professor Jasanoff tried to integrate the best of both techniques, cellular precision imaging of large brain areas, whilst using a method that would be non-invasive. After several years of failed testing he understood that in order to succeed in his research he needed to create a new component. His newly developed sensors are used along with fMRI in order to monitor serotonin, dopamine, calcium and even other molecules with a role in signaling. The sensors are made of a section that allows them to bind with the targeted molecule and another section that acts like a magnet, thus making them visible on the MRI.

A major interest to researchers is dopamine, the molecule that has an important role in addiction and Parkinson’s disease. Professor Jasanoff believes that important progress will be made in the near future, thanks to the development of these new sensors. He also adds that future studies will include sensors capable of interacting with other molecular targets as well.