Scott E Fraser, PhD

Provost Professor of Biological Sciences & Biomedical Engineering

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Overview

Fraser Lab Website

Professor Scott E. Fraser has a long-standing commitment to quantitative biology, applying the tools of chemistry, engineering and physics to problems in biology and medicine. His personal research centers on imaging and molecular analyses of intact biological systems, with an emphasis on early development, organogenesis, and medical diagnostics. After training in physics (BS, Harvey Mudd College, 1976) and biophysics (PhD, Johns Hopkins University, 1979), he joined the faculty at UC Irvine, and rose through the ranks to become Chair of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics. In 1990 he moved to Caltech to serve as the Anna L. Rosen Professor of Biology, and the Director of the Biological Imaging Center. He is deeply committed to interdisciplinary training and translational research, having helped found the Caltech Brain Imaging Center and the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, as well as serving as the Director of the Rosen Center for Biological Engineering. In Fall 2012, he moved to USC to take a Provost Professorship in the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine and the Viterbi School of Engineering. He remains active in interdisciplinary research and serves as the Director of Science Initiatives for the USC campuses.

Research Funding

  • In vivo Imaging of the Human Retina at the Molecular Level
    NIH · R01EY032994 · Mar 1, 2024 – Feb 29, 2028 · Role: Co-Principal Investigator
  • Early tumorigenesis in vivo imaging, scRNA-seq to functional assays
    NIH · R21CA267849 · Dec 13, 2021 – Nov 30, 2023 · Role: Co-Principal Investigator
  • Circuits underlying threat and safety
    NIH · U01NS122082 · Apr 15, 2021 – Mar 31, 2024 · Role: Co-Principal Investigator
  • In vivo imaging of tumor heterogeneity generation from endogenous single cells
    NIH · R21CA209012 · Jul 1, 2016 – Jun 30, 2019 · Role: Principal Investigator
  • Dynamic mapping of the complete synaptome using recombinant probes
    NIH · R01MH107238 · Sep 25, 2014 – Jul 31, 2020 · Role: Co-Principal Investigator
  • Phase Contrast OCT for Non-Invasive Imaging of Retinovascular Disease
    NIH · R42EY021054 · Sep 30, 2010 – May 31, 2016 · Role: Principal Investigator
  • Characterization of Exudative Macular Degeneration and Diabetic Retinopathy Using
    NIH · R41EY021054 · Sep 30, 2010 – Jun 29, 2012 · Role: Principal Investigator
  • Functional analysis of neural crest & palate: Imaging craniofacial development
    NIH · U01DE020063 · Sep 21, 2009 – Apr 30, 2014 · Role: Principal Investigator
  • Center for in Toto Genomic Analysis of Vertebrate Development
    NIH · P50HG004071 · Aug 15, 2006 – Jul 31, 2012 · Role: Principal Investigator
  • Hemodynamic Forces in Vascular Remodeling
    NIH · R01HL078694 · Sep 22, 2004 – Aug 31, 2008 · Role: Principal Investigator
  • Intravital imaging of neuronal development
    NIH · R01HD043897 · Jan 15, 2003 – Jan 14, 2007 · Role: Principal Investigator
  • Santa Cruz Meeting on Developmental Biology
    NIH · R13HD042812 · Jun 5, 2002 – May 31, 2003 · Role: Principal Investigator
  • OPTIC NERVE DEMYELINATION STUDY USING MRI
    NIH · R01EY011933 · Sep 30, 1999 – Sep 29, 2003 · Role: Principal Investigator
  • GORDON CONFERENCE ON DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
    NIH · R13HD033376 · Jul 27, 1995 – Jun 30, 1996 · Role: Principal Investigator
  • CELLULAR BASES OF COCAINE-INDUCED BRAIN ABNORMALITIES
    NIH · R55DA008689 · Sep 30, 1993 – Aug 31, 1995 · Role: Principal Investigator
  • VITAL DYE ANALYSIS OF HINDBRAIN DEVELOPMENT
    NIH · R01HD029304 · Sep 1, 1991 – Aug 31, 1996 · Role: Principal Investigator
  • DYNAMIC ASPECTS OF NEURONAL PATTERNING
    NIH · R01EY008363 · Dec 1, 1989 – Nov 30, 1992 · Role: Principal Investigator
  • FUNCTIONAL RECONSTRUCTION OF NEURONAL SYSTEMS
    NIH · R01NS025210 · Sep 1, 1987 – Aug 31, 1990 · Role: Principal Investigator

Publications

  • Negative-Valence Neurons in the Larval Zebrafish Pallium. bioRxiv. 2026 Feb 20.. View in PubMed
  • Ultra-Sensitive Detection of Phytophthora pluvialis by Real-Time PCR Targeting a Mitochondrial Gene. Phytopathology. 2026 Jan; 116(1):51-62.. View in PubMed
  • Transforming hyperspectral data into insight: the DREAM approach for pathology. Biomed Opt Express. 2025 Nov 01; 16(11):4420-4437.. View in PubMed
  • Lack of Williams syndrome-associated genes alters quantity discrimination in zebrafish. Behav Brain Res. 2026 01 05; 496:115860.. View in PubMed
  • Numerical discrimination in Danionella. iScience. 2025 Nov 21; 28(11):113667.. View in PubMed
  • Far-red chemigenetic kinase biosensors enable multiplexed and super-resolved imaging of signaling networks. Nat Biotechnol. 2026 Mar; 44(3):444-453.. View in PubMed
  • Subcellular Compartmentalization of Glucose Mediated Insulin Secretion. Cells. 2025 01 29; 14(3).. View in PubMed
  • Rapid diffused optical imaging for accurate 3D estimation of subcutaneous tissue features. iScience. 2025 Feb 21; 28(2):111818.. View in PubMed
  • Decoding Insulin Secretory Granule Maturation Using Genetically Encoded pH Sensors. ACS Sens. 2024 11 22; 9(11):6032-6039.. View in PubMed
  • Neural Basis of Number Sense in Larval Zebrafish. bioRxiv. 2024 Sep 05.. View in PubMed