My research is centered around the neurophysiology of the brain, with a particular focus on how oxygen is distributed and regulated in the cerebral cortex — and what happens when that regulation fails in disease.
We image oxygen directly in the living cortex. The genetically encoded sensor GeNL turns oxygen availability into light, so we can watch supply and demand play out across the tissue in awake mice — and catch the moments when supply briefly fails.
Using the genetically encoded bioluminescent oxygen sensor GeNL to map oxygen distribution and hypoxic pockets in the living, awake brain — and developing imaging methods with higher spatial and temporal resolution than electrodes or phosphorescence.
The brain holds virtually no oxygen reserves, so its energy metabolism depends on a continuous supply. I study how cortical oxygen availability shapes metabolic demand and neuronal function — and how transient shortfalls in oxygen affect brain physiology.
Developing and applying new genetically encoded biosensors for in vivo imaging — including oxygen sensors and lactate biosensors — to understand physiological processes in the brain.
How cerebral oxygen supply changes with aging and in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease, and how hypoxia and disrupted oxygen delivery contribute to neurodegeneration.
Unraveling the subarachnoid lymphatic-like membrane (SLYM) — a novel meningeal layer — and its role in cerebrospinal fluid flow, immune cell trafficking, and the exchange of solutes between CSF and venous blood.
Measuring how molecules cross between venous blood and cerebrospinal fluid, using transcranial bioluminescence imaging in live mice.
Method development · ongoing
We have recently demonstrated the feasibility of using bioluminescence as a sensor for intracellular oxygen dynamics in live brain tissue. The BOI system uses the genetically encoded biosensor GeNL (Green enhanced Nano-lantern) to image spontaneous hypoxic pockets in the awake, behaving mouse cortex with superior spatiotemporal resolution compared to established approaches such as electrodes and phosphorescence.
Related publications →My group works within the Maiken Nedergaard Lab at the Center for Translational Neuromedicine, so my research benefits from an exceptional network of collaborators, state-of-the-art facilities, and extensive resources spanning neuroscience, imaging, and translational medicine.
I'm open to student projects, collaborations and media inquiries.