Xiaotang Lu, a professor of chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has received the National Institutes of Health Director’s New Innovator Award from the NIH Common Fund’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research program.
The New Innovator awards, given to “unusually innovative research from early career investigators” for up to five years, “support investigators pursuing bold ideas that challenge conventional approaches and could open new pathways to scientific discovery,” according to the NIH announcement.
Lu’s research lies at the intersection of chemistry and neuroscience, exploring structure, connection and function in the brain. Her lab develops advanced imaging tools and methods to assemble a high-resolution, three-dimensional map of how individual neurons connect. To explore how the physical connections contribute to brain function, her lab also develops molecular labels and multiplexed imaging methods that can identify the different types of neurons in the map.
“It’s much like adding missing station names to a subway map, so we can understand not only where the connections are, but also which cells are communicating,” said Lu, who also is affiliated with the neuroscience program, the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the U. of I. “Understanding the brain’s wiring, with both connectivity and molecular labeling, reveals how healthy brain circuits work, what goes wrong in disease and where we might intervene with greater precision.”
With the New Innovator award, Lu plans to build a powerful platform for mapping the brain’s local circuits with both nanoscale detail and molecular information. She first plans to demonstrate the approach with a spot in the brainstem that serves as a hub in the brain-body axis, detailing how its circuitry processes signals from the body and potentially uncovering therapeutic targets.
“Xiaotang Lu is tackling some of the most complex questions in science with remarkable creativity and vision,” said Susan Martinis, the U. of I. senior vice chancellor for research and innovation. “Her pioneering work is expanding our understanding of the brain and exemplifies the bold, interdisciplinary research that distinguishes Illinois.”
Editor's note: To reach Xiaotang Lu, email xiaotang@illinois.edu.