This weekend I walked to at graduation to end my 8 years in Pittsburgh. This was supported by mentors and friends including
Andreas Pfenning and Ruby Holland.

To top it off, a major PhD dissertation project with
@wrstauffer.bsky.social
is now published in Neuron! bit.ly/4ktg1v1

I'm excited to be matched to at @stanfordanes.bsky.social, an excellent program, and future home for me to continue my career as a physician scientist caring for the people from where I grew up. 🧑🏻‍⚕️👨🏽‍🔬 #doubledocs

🐭 10/15 Surprising discovery: Our primate enhancers worked in mouse cortex too! Evolution conserved these regulatory elements 🧬 #evolution

🔍 9/15 Our validation pipeline:
- Multiplexed screening first
- Single injections to confirm
- Functional testing
Rigorous approach pays off!

🧪 8/15 Key finding: Getting specificity right depends on:
- Viral titer (concentration matters!)
- Capsid choice
- Injection parameters
Details matter!

⚡️ 7/15 Most exciting part: Used RMacL3-01 to express ChR2. Could control L2/3 neurons with light! First time achieving this specificity in primate DLPFC 🔦 #optogenetics

🔋 6/15 Best performers:
- Our RMacL3-01: Targets L2/3 projection neurons (77% specific!)
- RMacL5ET-01: Hits L5 extra long-range projection neurons
Proud of these results! 🎯

🎯 5/15 Our viral toolbox: Created AAVs with these enhancers. Like GPS-guided delivery trucks for genes! Tested different viral capsids (PHP.eB, 2YF, X1.1) to optimize delivery 🚛

🤖 4/15 The cool part: We developed ML models (SNAIL) to scan thousands of DNA regions & predict enhancers. Turned a needle-in-haystack problem into a targeted search! #MachineLearning

🧠 1/15 First bsky post and preprint alert! Part 4 of my thesis work is now online🎓🕺📜! We created tools to study specific neuron types in primate prefrontal cortex to be able to study complex thinking! Let's break down this work from the Stauffer (Pitt 🐵) and Pfenning (CMU🧬) labs🧵.