Federal Project Grant Summary

Emory University received a $430,375 Project Grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242), awarded March 15, 2026, with a completion date of March 14, 2028. The project, "Precision Targeting of Hippocampal Subfields with AAVs," will develop cell type-specific adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors utilizing enhancer-driven regulatory sequences to enable selective genetic access to hippocampal neuronal populations. The research team will create enhancer-AAV viruses for targeted delivery of optogenetic and chemogenetic tools to specific hippocampal excitatory cell types, beginning with dentate gyrus granule cells and expanding to CA3, CA2, and CA1 pyramidal cells, as well as hilar mossy cells.

These molecular tools will be developed by screening candidate enhancers using publicly available hippocampal RNA sequencing datasets and leveraging preliminary results demonstrating highly specific granule cell labeling. By providing the research community with selective methods to modulate and study individual hippocampal cell populations, this project will advance fundamental understanding of hippocampal circuit function in both healthy and pathophysiological conditions, supporting broader neuroscience research applications in mental health and neuropsychiatric disorders.