On 7 January 2026, Prof. Yulong Li, Professor at the School of Life Sciences, Peking University, delivered a seminar titled “Spying on Neuromodulator Dynamics in Vivo by Constructing Multi-Color GRAB Sensors”. Prof. Li is a leading researcher at the Peking University-Tsinghua University Joint Center for Life Sciences and the International Data Group Incorporated/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Peking University, with a strong track record in developing innovative tools to study neural communication.
In the seminar, Prof. Li presented his pioneering work on GPCR Activation-Based (GRAB) sensors – a series of genetically encoded optical probes designed to monitor neuromodulator dynamics in living animals with high spatial and temporal resolution. These multi-color sensors allowed real-time imaging of neuromodulators, such as monoamines, nucleotides, neuropeptides, and lipids in various model organisms, including mice, zebrafish, and flies.
Prof. Li emphasized the importance of studying neuromodulators – chemicals that fine-tune brain activity and influence perception, motion, learning, memory, and other physiological functions. These sensors enabled researchers to visualize the dynamics of neuromodulators during both normal physiological processes (e.g., sleep-wake cycles and locomotion) and pathological conditions, such as epilepsy.
A key highlight of his seminar was the ability of GRAB sensors to achieve cell-type specificity, rapid kinetics, and high chemical resolution. Prof. Li showed compelling data from in vivo studies in which his team tracked neurotransmitter release and detection with unprecedented precision, opening new avenues for dissecting neural circuit functions and understanding brain disorders.
Prof. Li’s research represents a major step forward in neuroscience, combining molecular biology, optical engineering, and computational analysis to decode the invisible language of neuromodulators in the brain.
Following the seminar, Prof. Li engaged in an interactive Q&A session with faculty members and students, sparking enthusiastic discussion about potential applications of GRAB sensors in both basic neuroscience and translational research.