In 2003, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen committed $100 million to brain research; three years later, his institute completed a mouse brain gene atlas and made it freely available online |
Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen committed $100 million to brain research in 2003, funding the creation of the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle. Its first major project was the Allen Brain Atlas, an effort to map gene activity across the mouse brain. Three years later, the institute announced the completion of the atlas, creating a detailed, three-dimensional map covering more than 21,000 genes at the cellular level. As listed on the website, the data was made publicly available online at no cost, giving scientists around the world access to information that could help them study the brain and disorders including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, schizophrenia and autism.
Why did Paul Allen invest $100 million in brain research
Paul Allen said he had become increasingly interested in genomics and neuroscience and wanted to understand how the brain works.“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,” Allen said in 2003.The Allen Institute was created as a private nonprofit organisation, with the aim of supporting research into areas including cognition, language, emotion and memory.
What was the Allen Brain Atlas
Allen institute’s first project was designed to show which genes are active in different parts of the mouse brain. The project combined neuroscience and genomics to create a molecular map of the brain. Scientists could use the information to study how genes relate to different brain regions and functions.The mouse was chosen because it has long been used in biomedical research and shares more than 90% of its genes with humans, according to the institute.
Allen Brain Atlas mapped more than 21,000 genes
When the project was completed, the Atlas contained information on more than 21,000 genes at the cellular level. The institute said the Atlas showed that about 80% of genes are active in the brain, higher than the 60% to 70% scientists had previously believed.“This project is an unprecedented union of neuroscience and genomics,” Allen said. The Atlas was made publicly available at no cost, allowing researchers to access the data online. Harvard professor Catherine Dulac called it “an enormous mine of information” and said its immediate public availability was “absolutely tremendous.”The project was already attracting more than 4 million hits a month before its completion and was being accessed by about 250 scientists on a typical work day. Stanford professor Ben A. Barres, who used the Atlas in his research, said: “It’s completely essential. It’s saved us years and years of work, maybe decades.”The institute later planned to shift its focus toward human brain research and studies of neurological and psychiatric disorders.
