The Perez-Reyes lab explores epilepsy circuits works to prevent seizures using gene therapies. We develop drug-inducible genetic switches for insulin replacement gene therapies, and using a combination of biophysics, molecular pharmacology, neuroscience, and translational science, we hope to treat temporal lobe epilepsy with a comprehensive and multifaceted approach.

We are also developing improved versions of the FLEX/DIO switch with minimal off-target expression in the absence of Cre recombinase and robust expression after Cre recombination.  This FLEX2.0 technology will be applied to commonly used FLEX AAVs.  We are proud to announce the 1st R01 awarded to the University of Virginia from the Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative. The Perez-Reyes lab was awarded a $1.3 million R01 grant from the NIH/NIMH for a project titled “Novel Cre-Dependent AAVs with Minimal Off-Target Expression to Study Neural Circuits.”   This grant is funding the development of Cre-dependent AAVs that deliver genes that act as sensors and genes that allow control of neural activity. These AAVs will be deposited in Addgene, a non-profit company that excels at sharing plasmids and AAVs with the scientific community.

Congratulations to Amir Behrooz, a 3rd year UVA undergrad for winning the Harrison Undergraduate Research Award for 2025!