To accomplish this goal, we establish strong technical, biological, and conceptual ties with colleagues in Molecular Tools and Imaging with expertise in tool-building, cutting-edge instrumentation (including imaging) and probe development. This enables us to employ a suite of new tools to analyze and manipulate cells in tissues at cellular or subcellular resolution, instead of just populations, and dynamic (4D) readouts, instead of only snapshots.
We additionally collaborate with colleagues in Computation and Theory to extract general principles of cellular computations that allow information to be scaled to create organisms of increasing size and sophistication. Interacting with colleagues from the Mechanistic Cognitive Neuroscience research area, we hope to understand how the peripheral nervous system, which received information from every organ and tissue in the body, collaborates with the brain to generate organismal behaviors essential for survival.
In addition to conducting our research and tool development at Janelia, we seek to create an intellectual and collaborative hub, through workshops and open data sharing, that will network, train, and inspire scientists from around the world to seek a molecular and cellular understanding of animal physiology.