Andre Berndt, assistant professor in the Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington in Seattle has received the 2022 McKnight Technological Innovations in Neuroscience Award for work that “fundamentally changes the way neuroscience is conducted.”
Berndt is one of three researchers this year to receive the $200,000 award given by the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience. His team was recognized for developing a rapid way to identify and optimize molecular tools called biosensors, which have been a major advance in the study of brain function.
“Traditional testing methods typically require months if not years of laboratory work,” Berndt said. “We’ve developed a system that can screen 10,000 biosensor proteins in an afternoon, allowing you to rapidly ‘pick a winner’ that has the characteristics you want.”
Biosensors are engineered molecules that can detect and measure levels of different substances. Typically they comprise a biological molecule, such as a cell receptor, linked to a molecule that generates a detectable signal.
Berndt’s work focuses on the development of biosensors to study brain activity and neural circuits. Recently, he and colleagues have worked with a biosensor that fluoresces when it interacts with the neurotransmitter dopamine.
