Overview
- Researchers engineered the iGluSnFR4 glutamate indicator to detect the faintest incoming neuronal signals, directly capturing synaptic input.
- Developed through a collaboration between HHMI’s Janelia Research Campus (GENIE Project) and the Allen Institute, the tool closes a longstanding measurement gap.
- The work is peer-reviewed and published in Nature Methods, detailing increased sensitivity and tailored deactivation rates for in vivo use.
- Validation shows the indicators can report single-vesicle, single-synapse events, enabling studies of how inputs drive neural computation.
- Constructs will be distributed via Addgene, supporting rapid adoption for disease research and drug testing focused on glutamate signaling.