We are proud to share that Dr. George Spirou, Professor in the Department of Medical Engineering, has received a renewal of his 5-year NIH R01 grant—one of the most prestigious and competitive funding awards from the National Institutes of Health. The goal of Dr. Spirou’s research is to better understand how the brain's wiring develops during early life, particularly how connections form between brain cells that allow us to hear and process sound. His work focuses on uncovering the sequence of events that guide this complex process, helping scientists better understand how the brain organizes itself and adapts to new experiences. Ultimately, this research may inform early interventions for children with hearing impairments or neurodevelopmental disorders and contribute to more effective therapies in the future. The renewal of this grant is a testament to the value and impact of Dr. Spirou’s work at the intersection of neuroscience and biomedical engineering. The focus of the research is investigating how spontaneous electrical activity in developing systems instructs the sculpturing of the final neural circuit in the brain.
High-resolution reconstructed synaptic contacts (red) adjoining neuronal structures imaged via volume electron microscopy—illustrating the kind of ultrastructural detail central to Dr. Spirou’s work on early neural circuit formation.
Using a combination of ex vivo synaptic and neuronal physiology, biophysics, and enlarged volume light and electron microscopy imaging. His research group tracks the functional and structural maturation of neural circuits that generate the largest nerve terminal complex in the mammalian brain at high temporal (daily) and spatial resolution. The goal is to specify cell signaling mechanisms that underlie the reorganization of cell types in the brain as neural circuits form in pre- and post-natal development. A deep understanding of synaptic genesis in early brain development will have applications in understanding the mechanisms of neurological disorders and even repair of older brains following injury and disease. This 5-year NIH project utilizes cutting edge imaging techniques, viral vector tools to specifically modify synaptic activity, and machine learning based auto-segmentation of cells and cellular organelles from large image volumes. The project is an ongoing collaboration with colleagues at University of California San Diego, the Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) and the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. The grant has a budget of $3.28 million over the 5-year funding period.