The race to engineer new knobs for the human brain

Chemogenetics, a technique that modifies specific neurons to respond to designer drugs, has reached human clinical trials, with seven studies underway in China targeting epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and pain. The therapy works by injecting a virus into the brain that makes neurons controllable via low-dose medication, offering more precise treatment than current options. Funding shortages, not scientific barriers, delayed this progress.