The brain’s ability to carry out everything from forming memories to coordinating movement depends on its cells producing the right proteins at the right time. But directly measuring this protein production, known as translation, across different types of brain cells has been a challenge.
Now, scientists at Scripps Research and UC San Diego have developed a technology that reveals which proteins individual brain cells are generating. In a study published in Nature on February 18, 2026, the team used their method-called Ribo-STAMP-to create the first maps of protein production across nearly 20,000 individual cells in the mouse hippocampus, a brain region essential for learning and memory.
“This gave us an entirely different angle to look at the hippocampus, and we found a lot of new and exciting…