Molecular controls shaping color-vision circuit connections
Official title: Molecular control of stochastic color vision circuit assembly
Funded at Temple Univ of the Commonwealth · NIH-11459111 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are studying how color-vision neurons in fruit flies connect properly by linking how these cells are formed with how they find their targets.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Temple Univ of the Commonwealth NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $248,998 |
| NIH project number | 4R00EY035757-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11459111 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are researchers and clinicians interested in neural development, connectomics, and translational neuroscience using invertebrate models to inform human brain wiring.
✕Less likely to help
This basic science project does not involve patient participation or direct clinical treatment.
What this research studies
This project uses the fruit fly model to explore how two different ways of cell development—random (stochastic) and orderly (deterministic)—lead to correct wiring in color vision. The team builds genetic access to specific neuron types using single-cell RNA data and develops lines to label and study those cells. By combining EM connectomics and developmental genomics, they aim to uncover how cell surface molecules guide synaptic connections in a well-mapped visual circuit. The work could illuminate how similar processes shape brain wiring in humans and other animals.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Understanding these wiring mechanisms could inform strategies to repair or recreate neural circuits affected in vision or neurodevelopmental disorders.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work in Drosophila has successfully mapped color-vision circuits and used single-cell approaches to link development with connectivity.
Where this research is happening
-
Temple Univ of the Commonwealth
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chen, Yu-Chieh David — Temple Univ of the Commonwealth
- Study coordinator: Chen, Yu-Chieh David
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.