Investor and philanthropist Paul G. Allen recently announced a commitment of $100 million in seed money dedicated to brain research and unveiled the creation of the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle. Founded as an innovative and unprecedented resource for neuroscientists around the world, the nonprofit Allen Institute - and its inaugural project the Allen Brain Atlas - will combine the disciplines of neuroscience and genomics to create a map of the mammalian brain at the cellular level. Through a collection of gene expression maps, brain circuitry and cell location, the Atlas will illustrate the functional anatomy of the brain. Building a publicly-accessible research tool that overlays structural imagery of the brain with specific details about the locations and functions of active genes will be carried out on an unprecedented scale, representing an immense advance in brain science. Long-term, the research will contribute to the work of scientists, medical researchers and educators around the world, supporting the development of new insights into normal brain function, as well as fundamental clues about the development and treatment of brain-related disorders, emotion, cognition, learning and memory. The findings will also provide valuable support for third-party research into the treatment and prevention of diseases such as Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, clinical depression, autism, addiction disorders and more.
"Over the last decade I have become increasingly interested in the fields of genomics and neuroscience, and their important role in human development, behavior, and health - and ultimately, understanding more about how the brain actually works," said Paul G. Allen. "It's awe-inspiring how a genome with only 30,000 genes can create the brain - a highly complex system of an estimated trillion nerve cells linked in an extraordinarily intricate network. We conceived the Institute and Atlas projects with a group of eminent neuroscience and genetics researchers, and are funding much-needed research efforts that will have a positive and lasting impact on all areas of brain science. By making the Atlas data accessible in the public domain, and by collaborating with scientific experts around the world, we believe this is a historic opportunity to unite the genome and the brain - and use the data and technology to tackle the challenges of neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative and psychiatric disease."
"This is yet another creative masterstroke by Paul Allen, who once again has thought up an unconventional but valuable outlet for his philanthropy," said Dr. Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard University and an advisor to the Allen Institute.
