Our Research

The Gradinaru Lab uses advanced technologies such as optogenetics, CLARITY, physiology, imaging, and behavior to understand and develop therapies for neurological diseases.

Lecture on Machine Learning Assisted Directed Evolution

NIH Director's Blog highlights recent G-Lab research

Scientific American features our work on Delivery Vectors that Cross the Blood-Brain Barrier

Short talk on Deep Brain Stimulation, Optogenetics, and CLARITY for the Stanford Big Data 2015

Gradinaru/Newman Collaboration Yields 3D View of Bacterial Infection by MiPACT tissue clearing [Video] [Caltech Press Release]

Scientific American 10 World Changing Ideas 2014 features our group's work on Transparent Organisms

CBS News on "Single-cell phenotyping within transparent intact tissue through whole-body clearing. Cell, 2014"

The World Economic Forum Blog: Interview about Optogenetics and CLARITY

Short Version: TEDxCaltech: The Brain, January 2013

Long Version: Watson Richard C. Biedebach Memorial Lecture, December 2012 (Available on iTunes U)

Positions currently available

Please email your CV and a cover page detailing your future research or position type interests to Dr. Viviana Gradinaru (viviana@caltech.edu).

Gradinaru Lab News

04/2020

Priya's Nature Methods paper describing multiplexed Cre-dependent selection of AAVs for targeted evolution (M-CREATE) is featured by Caltech!

01/2020

Viviana recieves the 2020 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science!

01/2019

Congratulations to Elliot for being selected as a 2019 Bridge to Independence Award fellow by the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative!

12/2019

Lab members share their research projects as a part of Graduate Student Scientific Storytelling supported by Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience.

David Brown: Programming Biology with Viruses


Tatyana Dobreva: Engineering Garbage Cases for Neuronal Waste


Xinhong Chen: Engineering a better delivery vehicle for gene therapy


Xiaozhe Ding: Making larger 'shipping boxes' for Genes



06/2019

Michael and Grigorios' work on Settling the Debate on Serotonin's Role in Sleep is now out in "Neuron". Congratulations!

02/2019

Viviana is featured in the Neuron "Voices" article Driving the Next Steps with Technology, celebrating 30 years of Neuron, where she discusses recent advances and neuroscience applications of adeno-associated viral vectors.

01/2019

Rose's AAV protocols paper is featured as the cover of Nature Protocols.

05/2018

Viviana is promoted to Professor of Neuroscience and Biological Engineering. Congratulations!

05/2018

Our lab just published a review paper on Viral strategies for targening CNS/PNS.

08/2017

Congratulations to Jenny who just received NARSAD Young Investigator Grant!

07/2017

Ken's AAV paper is featured as the cover of Nature Neuroscience.

07/2017

Viviana, Ryan and Jenny participated in "Advanced Technologies in Molecular Neuroscience" course at the Cold Spring Harbor Lab and taught tissue clearing methods. (Image: PACT clearing of Thy1-eYFP mouse brain)

06/2017

Ken's paper on novel engineered AAVs is published in Nature Neuroscience.

06/2017

Ryan's work on DRN dopamine neurons is published in Neuron.

05/2017

Dr. Ken Chan, GLab's first PhD recipient, won the (1) Demetriades-Tsafka-Kokkalis Prize in Entrepreneurship or Related Fields and the (2) Lawrence L. and Audrey W. Ferguson Prize for his thesis work on viral vectors and tissue clearing. Congratulations!!

04/2017

Alon and Ken's paper on bone CLARITY is published in Science Translational Medicine.

11/2016

Discussing neurodegeneration with Bill Gates at Caltech.

11/2016

Viviana is featured in the Neuron "Voices" article Global Collaboration, Learning from Other Fields.

10/2016

Viviana receives Peter Gruss Young Investigator Award!

09/2016

We collaborated with the Newman lab for Microbial Imaging after PACT - "Exposing the 3D biogeography and metabolic states of pathogens in cystic fibrosis sputum via hydrogel embedding, clearing and rRNA labeling". Paper here.

07/2016

Jenny's review on tissue clearing and viral vectors for mapping biological circuits is now in Current Opinion in Biotechnology.

04/2016

Cheng's paper out in Neuron!

02/2016

Viviana is awarded a PECASE!: "Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the United States Government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers."

02/2016

Ben's paper out in Nature Biotechnology on Delivering genes across the blood-brain barrier

01/2016

Nature News and Views on Optogenetic Voltage Sensors

10/2015

If you use tissue clearing - these detailed protocols just out in Nature Protocols will help!

07/2015

Spying on Opsins.

03/2015

Viviana is a Sloan Fellow in Neuroscience.

10/2014

Glab is awarded a BRAIN initiative grant in collaboration with Changhuei Yang's group at Caltech.

9/2014

Viviana is elected to the Allen Brain Institute Next Generation Leaders Council.

9/2014

Nick and Claire's paper on voltage sensing with Archer 1 has been published in Nature Communications.

8/2014

Glab's first paper has been published in Cell.

Old News Archive

Life in the GLab

04/2017

G-Lab members participated in Beaver 5k!

03/2015

Uninspired? On Creative Work.

04/2013

Picture of the Month!

04/2013

Lindsay and Jenny performed the first in vivo electrophysiology experiment with optogenetics.

02/2013

Happy birthday, Claire!

Archive