Spring 2026 Grantee Highlight:
Adam E. Cohen

Adam E. Cohen, PhD

Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, and Physics, Harvard University

Neurons communicate through electrical signals, but researchers still lack a scalable way to determine how thousands of genes shape those signals and how cells respond to external molecular cues such as neuropeptides and drugs. Adam Cohen and his team at Harvard University are developing functional Optical Pooled Screening (fOPS), a platform that combines optical recording of electrical activity in human stem-cell-derived neurons with CRISPR-based gene perturbations and spatial sequencing of genetic barcodes. The approach will allow the team to alter thousands of genes in parallel, measure how each change affects neuronal firing, and identify which perturbation was present in each cell.

Using this technology, the researchers will investigate how genes influence neural function and search for receptors for “orphan” neuropeptides, potent signaling molecules whose receptors remain unknown. Discovering these receptors could reveal pathways that regulate appetite, metabolism, mood, and other physiological functions, while opening new avenues for therapeutic development. More broadly, fOPS could provide a new way to uncover how genes and molecular signals shape the activity of neurons and other electrically active cells.

Learn more about the Cohen Lab: https://cohenweb.rc.fas.harvard.edu/