BRAIN-STORRM Network

By bridging the gap between AAV development and widespread accessibility, the BRAIN-STORRM Network will accelerate neuroscience research, enabling more precise investigations into neural circuits across species. Additionally, this initiative will enhance diversity in STEM by providing UMES students—many from historically underserved communities—with hands-on experience in high-impact science. Through collaborations with UPitt and CMU, UMES will become a key hub in the BRAIN Initiative’s mission to advance neurotechnology, democratize scientific tools, and drive discoveries in brain function and dysfunction. This effort not only strengthens the BRAIN Initiative’s infrastructure but also ensures that its benefits reach a broader scientific community.

By bridging the gap between AAV development and widespread accessibility, the BRAIN-STORRM Network will accelerate neuroscience research, enabling more precise investigations into neural circuits across species. Additionally, this initiative will enhance diversity in STEM by providing UMES students—many from historically underserved communities—with hands-on experience in high-impact science. Through collaborations with UPitt and CMU, UMES will become a key hub in the BRAIN Initiative’s mission to advance neurotechnology, democratize scientific tools, and drive discoveries in brain function and dysfunction. This effort not only strengthens the BRAIN Initiative’s infrastructure but also ensures that its benefits reach a broader scientific community.

TEAM

William Stauffer, PhD. (Contact PI): Bill investigates the neural mechanisms underlying reward processing, emotions, and decision-making, with a focus on how dopamine neurons encode reward prediction errors to guide motivated behaviors. His lab employs electrophysiology, optogenetics, computational modeling, and behavioral assays to study how neural circuits represent value, risk, time, and motivation. A key question driving his work is whether the computational clarity observed in dopamine neurons—whose activity aligns with reinforcement learning models—can be extended to other cell types if they could be similarly isolated and recorded during behavior. To address this, his team also pioneers genetic engineering and single-cell transcriptomics to develop cell type-specific promoters, enabling precise manipulation and study of neural circuits in wild-type animals, including non-human primates, where traditional transgenic approaches are limited. Through these efforts, Dr. Stauffer aims to uncover fundamental principles of reward-related decision-making while advancing tools for targeted neuroscience research. 

Victor Hsia, PhD. (MPI): Victor's research focuses on establishing the BRAIN-STORRM Network, a collaborative initiative to scale up production, validation, and distribution of cell type-specific AAV (adeno-associated virus) vectors for neuroscience research. His work involves three key aims: (1) building infrastructure and mentorship programs at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) to support AAV production, validation, and training for students—particularly from underrepresented backgrounds; (2) distributing and testing novel enhancer-driven AAVs (including AAV9, AAVPhP.eB, retro-AAV2, and AAV8) to validate their cell type specificity in wild-type animals; and (3) expanding production capacity to provide researchers worldwide with customizable AAVs for optogenetics, chemogenetics, imaging, and circuit mapping. By bridging gaps in neurotechnology accessibility and fostering diversity in STEM, Victor’s efforts aim to accelerate discoveries in neural circuit function and enhance the impact of the BRAIN Initiative.