Assistant Professor Yuecheng "Peter" Zhou as received funding from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust to develop breakthrough neuroscience technology. His ECORE method uses voltage-sensitive polymers to safely record electrical signals from hundreds of neurons simultaneously for extended periods, potentially revolutionizing our understanding of how the brain processes information. This research could lead to insights that change treatments for neurological disorders.
Written by Jackson Brunner
Assistant Professor Yuecheng "Peter" Zhou from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has been awarded an Individual Investigator Award from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust. The three-year, $450,000 grant will support his research project, "Understanding neuronal signal integration using ultrasensitive label-free optical recording."
Why it Matters
Pictured: Assistant Professor Yuecheng "Peter" Zhou
Zhou’s research could revolutionize our understanding of how the brain processes information and lead to new treatments for neurological disorders where neuronal communication breaks down. He is tackling a fundamental challenge in neuroscience: understanding how neurons combine electrical signals from hundreds of other neurons and decide whether to send signals forward. Current recording technologies have significant limitations; many require inserting dyes into neurons, can only monitor a handful of cells at once, or capture neuronal activities for just brief periods. Zhou's breakthrough ECORE (ElectroChromic Optical REcording) method uses the voltage-sensitive color change of electrochromic polymers placed outside of cells to safely record electrical signals from hundreds of neurons for hours to days.
About the Donor
The Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, one of Iowa's largest private foundations with over $350 million in assets, was established through the will of Muscatine industrialist Roy J. Carver in 1987. He built the world's largest tire retread company, Bandag, Inc., and had a passion for supporting research to advance scientific knowledge and improve human health.
Key Facts
ECORE will enable long-term observation of electric activities in large neuronal networks that were previously inaccessible, opening new avenues to study how neurons adapt and learn.
This award continues the trust's mission of supporting biomedical research, having distributed over $450 million through 2,200 grants since 1987.
The research addresses critical gaps in neuroscience by providing tools to study neural decision-making and adaptation in real-time across extensive brain networks.
"I am deeply grateful for this award from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, which enables us to pursue our most exciting ideas and significantly advance our understanding of information processing in the brain." - Assistant Professor Yuecheng "Peter" Zhou