A NEW METHOD TO MAP THE BRAIN: INFECT IT WITH A VIRUS

Summary from the TLDR newsletter

E11 Bio has been working for the past three years to develop techniques to make brain mapping better, cheaper, and faster. One of these approaches involves making the brain label itself by injecting it with viruses that cause neurons to make special proteins that act like barcodes. The approach reduces the amount of brain slicing required and creates more accurate wiring maps that require less proofreading. E11 is now shifting from proof-of-concept mode to building out its imaging infrastructure so it can tackle an entire mouse brain.