University of California, Los Angeles
Address: Neuroscience Research Building, 635 Charles E. Young Dr S, Box 957332
Los Angeles, CA 90095-7332 - USA
Email: aandrews@mednet.ucla.edu
Anne Andrews is Professor of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, Chemistry & Biochemistry, and Bioengineering at UCLA. She received her B.S. from the Pennsylvania State University and Ph.D. from the American University. She was a predoctoral, postdoctoral, and senior staff fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health. Andrews received an NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award, an IUPAC Distinguished Women in Chemistry Award, and an ACS Award in Electrochemistry, among others. Andrews advances basic and translational brain research. Her interdisciplinary team studies how neurotransmitters, including serotonin, encode emotionally salient information related to anxiety and stress responses. Andrews also develops wearable sensors to advance personalized medicine and improve health and wellness.
Monitoring serotonin signaling: A journey in time and space
We aim to understand how serotonin encodes information related to anxiety and stress. Throughout our research, we have developed and improved neuroanalytical methods to monitor serotonin levels in vivo with high temporal, spatial, and chemical resolution. Building on the pioneering work of Ralph Adams, we used electrochemical detection of serotonin to enhance fast microdialysis sampling combined with online HPLC. To directly sample the brain's extracellular signaling space, we developed rapid-pulse voltammetry paired with machine learning for multiplexed measurements of serotonin and dopamine. In addition to electrochemistry, we created electronic biosensors based on DNA aptamers for molecular recognition, coupled with field-effect transistors for electronic signal transduction. These sensors extend detection to non-electrochemically active neurotransmitters and hormones, allowing for implantable and wearable monitoring. Using high-resolution monitoring, we investigated the transgenerational impact of stress on anxiety-related behavior in adult mouse offspring and are working toward wearable, multiplexed biomarker measurements to provide personalized insights into human stress responses.
