{"id":210844,"date":"2020-02-21T12:03:22","date_gmt":"2020-02-21T17:03:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/?p=210844"},"modified":"2023-04-10T12:42:25","modified_gmt":"2023-04-10T16:42:25","slug":"chemistry-professor-earns-nsf-career-grant-to-improve-neurotransmission-measuring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2020\/02\/21\/chemistry-professor-earns-nsf-career-grant-to-improve-neurotransmission-measuring\/","title":{"rendered":"Chemistry Professor Earns NSF CAREER Grant to Improve Neurotransmission Measuring"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photo: O\u2019Neil works with senior Kelly Obrzut (center) and junior Katherine Schaffer (right) in his lab, on chemistry experiments. Schaffer is part of the team working to create tools to measure neurotransmitter pathways.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Scientists have long known that chemical signals in the brain play a fundamental role in everything we do; basically, determining how our minds and bodies work \u2013 or don\u2019t work. And while decades of research have shown that the movement of tiny molecules called neurotransmitters in the brain influence behavior and disease, there are still gaps in the understanding of that transmission process at the single-cell level because the mapping tools lack sufficient resolution.<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s where Montclair State University Assistant Chemistry Professor Glen O\u2019Neil and the students in his lab come in. O\u2019Neil is embarking on a five-year, $500,280 National Science Foundation CAREER grant to develop tools using semiconductors and light sensors that will produce higher-resolution chemical images to help scientists better understand neurotransmission in and around cells. This research also recently earned him a $100,000 Cottrell Scholar grant from the Research Corporation for Scientific Advancement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is still not a clear understanding at the single-cell level of what happens to neurotransmitters when they leave the cell, because neurons are very small and the process happens very fast,\u201d explains O\u2019Neil. \u201cWe want to map out where and when neurotransmission happens and why it happens at certain locations. We hope to create the tools to help us answer those fundamental questions.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Glen O’Neil<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

O\u2019Neil\u2019s proposal for the NSF CAREER grant included a component for involving underrepresented students in the lab, as well as increasing the retention rate for community college transfer students by involving them in higher-level research. Six students, five of them female and some of whom are transfer students, are working on the study and he plans to bring in more.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea is that being part of the lab will help transfer students transition to the University, help them fit in and feel connected so they will stick with it,\u201d he says. \u201cThe students will be the ones conducting the experiments on this project.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Neil and his students are focused on mapping one type of neurotransmitter \u2013 dopamine, which acts as the reward system base in the brain and plays a role in diseases such as addiction, schizophrenia and Parkinson\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope to achieve an understanding of the signals. If we can do that, we can, perhaps, eventually develop therapeutic steps that will help people,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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O\u2019Neil works with senior Frank Rabboh, who is working on a grant of his own from the New Jersey Space Grant Consortium to develop 3D printed sensors that could be used on a long-term space mission.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The group employs materials typically used for solar energy conversion by creating dopamine sensors made from silicon, which is used in solar panels, and gold nanoparticles. The ultimate goal is to grow neurons on these sensors and image the dopamine release in real-time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem with the current basic technology is that it is really too slow. We can\u2019t see where things are going. Tools that measure faster don\u2019t have the required spatial resolution, and tools that have high spatial resolution can\u2019t measure fast enough. So what we are trying to do is develop the sensors in the lab that are faster with higher resolution,\u201d O\u2019Neil says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are using a model biological system; it\u2019s not like there are Parkinson\u2019s patients\u2019 neurons that we can study. Hopefully, later down the line, if the technique works as well as I hope it will, we can apply it to more complicated biological systems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katherine Schaffer, a junior commuter student from Long Valley, who transferred to Montclair State from the County College of Morris says she feels fortunate to have taken O\u2019Neil\u2019s analytical chemistry class, which led to her working on the project.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really fun and interesting research, and it\u2019s such a cool idea,\u201d she says. \u201cDr. O\u2019Neil is a great role model in the lab.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senior Frank Rabboh, a first-generation college student from Totowa, is working in O\u2019Neil\u2019s lab on a grant of his own from the New Jersey Space Grant Consortium to develop 3D printed sensors that could be used on a long-term space mission. O\u2019Neil encouraged him to apply for the grant, which gives him the opportunity to work in the lab instead of getting another job.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been awesome to work in the lab,\u201d says Rabboh. \u201cThis semester I\u2019m here three days a week, eight hours a day really doing deep research. It\u2019s been eye opening to the research field.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students trained on this project are learning state-of-the-art fabrication, analysis, measurement, and characterization skills that O\u2019Neil says will be useful when they enter the workforce or graduate school.<\/p>\n

“Dr. O’Neil is an academic role model who values both research and education, and we are proud of the work he is doing to include underrepresented students in the lab,” says College of Science and Mathematics Dean Lora Billings. “His efforts are a wonderful example of how Montclair State University leads the way in providing access and excellence for our students in STEM education.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Story by Editorial Director Laura Griffin<\/a>. Photos by University Photographer Mike Peters<\/a>.<\/p>\n