Serotonin plays a critical role in controlling our thoughts and feelings. Current methods can only detect broad changes in serotonin signaling. Scientists have recently used advanced genetic engineering techniques to transform a bacterial protein into a new research tool for monitoring serotonin transmission with greater sensitivity. Researchers from the University of California, Davis School of Medicine, used artificial intelligence to transform a nutrient-grabbing, venus flytrap-shaped bacterial protein into a highly sensitive serotonin sensor.
This sensor fluorescently lights up on capturing serotonin. Researchers used machine learning algorithms to compute 250,000 new sensor designs, of which one was finalized. Experiments with this sensor design successfully detected serotonin levels in the brain without having any reaction to other neurotransmitters. Preclinical experiments showed…
