Meetings & Courses Program

Crossroads of Biology

Advanced Techniques in Molecular Neuroscience (CANCELED)
June 26 - July 11, 2020
Application & Materials Deadline: March 15, 2020

Instructors:

Cary Lai, Indiana University
Joseph LoTurco, University of Connecticut
Anne Schaefer, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital

********

COVID-19: UPDATE April 1, 2020: It is with considerable regret that we announce the cancellation of this course for 2020 but it will be rescheduled to similar dates in 2021.

*********

See the roll of honor - who's taken the course in the past.

This laboratory and lecture course is designed to provide neuroscientists at all levels with a conceptual and practical understanding of several of the most advanced techniques in molecular neuroscience.

The course curriculum is divided into three sections: an extensive and up-to-date set of laboratory exercises, daily lectures covering the theoretical and practical aspects of the various methods used in the laboratory, and a series of evening research seminars.

The informal and interactive evening lectures will be given by leading molecular neuroscientists and will serve to illustrate the ways in which the various experimental approaches have been used to advance specific areas of neurobiology.

In this year's course, the laboratory portion will include topics such as:

  • Assessment of open chromatin in specified neural populations by ATAC-seq

  • Assays of mRNA expression in specified neural subtypes by TRAP

  • Introduction to overall strategies, use and design of BAC transgenic vectors

  • Methods for preparing purified cell cultures of defined neuronal and glial cells

  • Identification of nuclear factor binding sites in brain by Cut & Run

  • Tissue clearing combined with sensitive detection of mRNA in brain tissue by HCR

  • CRISPR genome editing and construction of CRISPR vectors for targeting genes in neurons and glia

  • Gene delivery to neural cells in vivo by viral infection and plasmid electroporation techniques

2019 Lecturers & Module Leaders Included:

Pinar Ayata, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Robert Darnell, The Rockefeller University/HHMI/NY Genome Center
James Eberwine, University of Pennsylvania
Kurt Haas, University of British Columbia
Brandon Harvey, National Institutes of Health
Corey Harwell, Harvard Medical School
Paul Kenny, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Shane Liddelow, New York University
Bryan Luikart, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College
Eric Schmidt, The Rockefeller University
Debra Silver, Duke University Medical Center
Jennifer Treweek, University of Southern California

The CSHL Meetings & Courses Program is strongly committed to diversity in the recruitment and selection of participants for all our courses. See our diversity policy here. We strongly encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds to apply for this course.

Support & Stipends:

Major support provided by: National Institute of Mental Health.

We would like to acknowledge the following companies that provided invaluable support:
Microscopes: Leica Microsystems, Inc, Nikon Instruments, Inc
Equipment: Agilent Technologies, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Electron Microscopy Sciences, Leica Biosystems, Molecular Devices, Thermo Fisher Scientific, World Precision Instruments
Donations: Addgene, AG Scientific, Inc, Antibodies-Online, Bangs Laboratories, Inc, CrystalGen, Inc, Epicypher, Inc, GenScript Biotech, Macherey-Nagel, Inc


Stipends are available to offset tuition costs as follows-

       

Please indicate your eligibility for funding in your stipend request submitted when you apply to the course. Stipend requests do not affect selection decisions made by the instructors.

Cost (including board and lodging): $4,480

No fees are due until you have completed the full application process and are accepted into the course. Students accepted into the course should plan to arrive by early evening on June 25 and plan to depart after lunch on July 11.

Before applying, ensure you have:

  1. Personal statement/essay;
  2. Letter(s) of recommendation;
  3. Curriculum vitae/resume (optional);
  4. Financial aid request (optional).
    More details.

If you are not ready to fully apply but wish to express interest in applying, receive a reminder two weeks prior to the deadline, and tell us about your financial aid requirements, click below: