MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology

One of the world's leading research institutes, our scientists are working to advance understanding of biological processes at the molecular level - providing the knowledge needed to solve key problems in human health.

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Sven Truckenbrodt

Molecular Brain Mapping

Group Leader starting in October 2025. Interim enquiries can be sent to the Neurobiology Divisional Administrator, .

All human culture — from society to science, engineering, and art — is the product of our brains. And yet, the brain — the biological hardware of cognition — remains enigmatic. To generate testable hypothesis about how it works, we need brain maps with an ever-increasing abundance of information.

We are generating this abundance of information by applying the new paradigm of molecular connectomics. Molecular connectomics combines synaptic resolution circuit mapping with access to the extensive toolboxes of molecular biology, to enable multimodal readouts of molecular information.

Expansion microscopy is a core method for our group that enables this technology stack. Volumetrically expanding tissues by more than 1,000-fold makes it possible to resolve synaptic connections and on conventional light microscopes. Light microscopy unlocks the toolboxes of molecular biology for connectomics— from immunostainings of synaptic markers to RNA cell-typing, viral barcoding of neurons, etc. We combine these tools to achieve multimodal multiplexing of dozens of targets and different biomolecules within the same brain map.

Our goal is to understand animal behaviour at the molecular level of the biological hardware that gives rise to the computational capabilities of our remarkable brains.

Four display items outline what constitutes “molecular connectomics.” First, expansion microscopy is represented by a photo of a mouse brain slice before and after expansion. Second, morphological readouts are represented by a microscopy image of neurons with pan-protein labelling. Third, molecular tools are represented by a compound microscopy image of neuronal barcodes. Fourth, molecular readouts are represented by a microscopy image of neuronal barcodes with pre- and post-synaptic markers. Finally, a 3D rendering of a reconstruction of barcoded neurons with synaptic markers acts as a representation of how these modules combine.
Contributions from E11 Bio, Rodriques (Crick), Boyden (MIT), and Kornfeld (Max Planck/LMB). See below for full credits*

*Data credits. E11 Bio: Sung-Yun (Rosa) Park, Arlo Sheridan, William Patton, Julia Lyudchik, Erin Jarvis, Jun Axup, Stephanie Chan, Hugo Damstra, Clarence Magno, Aashir Meeran, Jules Michalska, Michelle Wu, Kathleen Leeper, Sven Truckenbrodt, Johan Winnubst, Andrew Payne. Crick Institute: Samuel Rodriques, Sung-Yun (Rosa) Park. MIT: Ed Boyden, Bobae An, Daniel Leible. MPI: Jörgen Kornfeld, Franz Rieger. 3D rendering: Tyler Sloan.

Selected Papers