By building a detailed “parts list” of the mammalian brain and understanding how each part functions within an integrated whole, science can better–and more quickly–develop life-changing therapies and treatments for debilitating brain diseases.

How many cell types are there? What is their form, function, and how do they connect? By answering these foundational questions we can better understand human brain development, evolution, and disease. Established in 2003, the Allen Institute for Brain Science is our oldest scientific division.

Brain Science Data Tools & Research Highlights 

We’re defining and analyzing the different cells that make up the mammalian brain to better understand how our brains work, how they develop, and what goes wrong in disease. Using a big, team, and open science approach, we share our discoveries, data, and resources with the broader scientific community to catalyze breakthroughs.

All of our tools, including brain atlases, databases, and more, are publicly available online at brain-map.org.

Our Approach

By cataloguing and genetically profiling cell types of the brain with incredible precision and detail, we can improve our fundamental understanding of brain development, evolution, and disease.

We do this through advanced single-cell molecular analysis techniques, such as single-cell RNA sequencing and electrophysiology, combined with cutting-edge imaging technologies that provide a comprehensive view of how our brains are organized; what their cellular makeup is; how those cells connect, develop, and function; and the complex relationship between these factors.

Using a team science approach, we are exploring the mammalian brain at a molecular level and sharing our insights with the world.