Chemogenetics Platform

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Chemogenetics, particularly the DREADD (Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs) system, enables reversible, cell-type-specific, and remote control of neuronal activity. At Ace Therapeutics, we provide an integrated chemogenetics platform tailored for psychiatric research. It supports target validation, neural circuit dissection, and efficacy evaluation of novel therapeutics in models of depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and addiction.

How Chemogenetics Works?

Chemogenetics utilizes engineered G protein-coupled receptors (DREADDs) that are no longer responsive to endogenous ligands but are selectively activated by otherwise inert synthetic compounds (e.g., CNO, DCZ, Clozapine). Expression of these receptors is targeted to specific neuronal populations using viral vectors (AAV, lentivirus, HSV) or transgenic mouse lines. Upon systemic or local administration of the designer drug, neuronal activity is either increased (via Gq-DREADD or Gs-DREADD) or suppressed (via Gi-DREADD or KORD), enabling reversible, non-invasive, and sustained modulation of neural circuits.

Fig. 1 Principles of precision neuromodulation through chemogenetics. (Song, Jingwei, et al., 2022)

Core Technical Service Capabilities of Our Chemogenetics Platform

Services	Specific Offerings
Chemogenetic Viral Vector Construction	AAV/Lenti/HSV vectors carrying hM3Dq (activation), hM4Di (inhibition), KORD, or rM3Ds. Optional cell-type-specific promoters (CaMKIIα, hSyn, GFAP, GAD, TH) and Cre/LoxP-dependent DIO/FLEX constructs.
Chemogenetic Animal Model Generation	Stereotaxic virus injection and fiber optic cannula implantation for region-specific DREADD expression; generation of transgenic DREADD mouse lines (e.g., R26-LSL-Gq/Gi-DREADD) crossed with Cre-driver lines for cell-type precision.
*In Vivo* Pharmacological Manipulation	Systemic (i.p.) or local (intracranial) administration of DREADD ligands (CNO, DCZ, Clozapine). Optimized dosing protocols for acute or chronic experiments.
Behavioral Testing	Light stimulation-independent behavioral assays integrated with chemogenetic manipulation, including tests for anxiety (open field, EPM), depression (TST, FST, sucrose preference), learning & memory (Morris water maze, Y-maze, contextual fear conditioning), social behavior (three-chamber test), and drug addiction (CPP, self-administration).
Validation & Analytics	Immunohistochemistry (IHC) to confirm DREADD expression; patch-clamp or in vivo multi-channel electrophysiology to verify functional modulation of neuronal firing; fiber photometry for simultaneous neural activity recording; histopathological evaluation.
Data Reporting	Full documentation including viral titer certificates, histological images, raw behavioral data with statistical analysis, and circuit mapping results.

Why Choose Our Chemogenetics Platform?

Psychiatric Disease Focus

We specialize in clinically relevant models of depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, PTSD, and addiction. Our team of experts has deep expertise in the field of psychiatric disorders.

Flexible Tool Selection

We support multiple DREADD variants (hM3Dq, hM4Di, KORD, rM3Ds), ligand options (CNO, DCZ, Clozapine), and delivery routes.

Integrated Services Workflow

We offer end-to-end services covering construct design and animal surgery to behavioral testing and electrophysiological validation.

References

Gao, Jingyao, et al. Advances in chemogenetics: a review of DREADDs and its application in psychiatric disorders. Molecular Psychiatry. 31.1 (2026): 480-497.
Song, Jingwei, et al. Chemogenetics as a neuromodulatory approach to treating neuropsychiatric diseases and disorders. Molecular Therapy. 30.3 (2022): 990-1005.
Li, Shaowei, et al. Optogenetics and chemogenetics: key tools for modulating neural circuits in rodent models of depression. Frontiers in Neural Circuits. 19 (2025): 1516839.

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* Please note that all of our services and products are intended for preclinical research use only and cannot be used to diagnose, treat or manage patients.

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