Novel engineering methods for the development of optogenetic tools

This thesis addresses two major challenges in the field of cellular optogenetics. It provides a streamlined method and plasmid repository for the engineering of light-activated protein-protein interactions, and introduces a conceptually novel design approach for light-activated G-protein coupled receptors based on structural information. This work facilitates the broader accessibility of optogenetics and presents significant improvements in activity and applicability of current optogenetic tools.