The Allen Institute is a non-profit, bioscience research institute located in Seattle. It was founded by billionaire philanthropist Paul G. Allen in 2003. The Allen Institute conducts large-scale

basic science Basic research, also called pure research, fundamental research, basic science, or pure science, is a type of scientific research with the aim of improving scientific theories for better understanding and prediction of natural or other phenomen ...

research studying the brain, cells and immune system in an effort to accelerate science and disease research. The organization practices

open science Open science is the movement to make scientific research (including publications, data, physical samples, and software) and its dissemination accessible to all levels of society, amateur or professional. Open science is transparent and accessib ...

, in that they make all their data and resources publicly available for researchers to access.

Scientific Focus

The Allen Institute's research is focused on

neuroscience Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions, and its disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, ...

, through the

Allen Institute for Brain Science The Allen Institute for Brain Science is a division of the Allen Institute, based in Seattle, Washington, that focuses on bioscience research. Founded in 2003, it is dedicated to accelerating the understanding of how the human brain works. Wit ...

, founded in 2003, Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics, founded in 2021;

cell biology Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living an ...

, through the

Allen Institute for Cell Science The Allen Institute for Cell Science is a research institute established by Paul Allen in Seattle, Washington on 8 December 2014. The institute is modelled in large part on the Allen Institute for Brain Science and received the same initial fin ...

, founded in 2014; broad areas of bioscience and medical research, through The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group, founded in 2016; and human

immunology Immunology is a branch of biology and medicine that covers the study of Immune system, immune systems in all Organism, organisms. Immunology charts, measures, and contextualizes the Physiology, physiological functioning of the immune system in ...

, through the Allen Institute for Immunology, founded in 2018. The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group recommends research funding to scientific investigators outside the Allen Institute, while the other three divisions conduct research in-house.

Allen Institute for Brain Science

The Allen Institute for Brain Science launched with an initial single scientific project, the Allen Mouse Brain Atlas, which aimed to map gene expression across the entire mouse brain. The publication describing that project, published in 2007, has been cited more than 1,800 times. The Allen Institute for Brain Science has since generated several other large-scale neuroscience projects, focusing on both the mouse and human brains in health and disease. Its most recent open-source projects focus on defining brain cell types in the healthy mouse and human brains through multimodal characterization of neurons and other brain cells, including their connectivity, electrophysiology, morphology and transcriptomic profiles; and on the cellular level of activity in the mouse visual cortex through the Allen Brain Observatory. In 2020, the National Institutes of Health awarded $40.5 million to launch a new research center headquartered at the Allen Institute focused on brain cell types in Alzheimer's disease.

Allen Institute for Cell Science

The Allen Institute for Cell Science was modeled on the Allen Institute for Brain Science and was launched to capture a global view of human cells, developing gene-edited, fluorescently tagged human

induced pluripotent stem cell Induced pluripotent stem cells (also known as iPS cells or iPSCs) are a type of pluripotent stem cell that can be generated directly from a somatic cell. The iPSC technology was pioneered by Shinya Yamanaka and Kazutoshi Takahashi in Kyoto, Jap ...

s that form the backbone of an openly available library of digital microscopy images and computational models to predict cellular organization. The tagged cell lines are available for others in the scientific community to use, and have been used in research on kidney disease and

cardiomyocyte Cardiac muscle (also called heart muscle or myocardium) is one of three types of vertebrate muscle tissues, the others being skeletal muscle and smooth muscle. It is an involuntary, striated muscle that constitutes the main tissue of the wall of ...

function, among others. Ongoing projects at the institute include studies of cardiomyocyte differentiation and

mitosis Mitosis () is a part of the cell cycle in eukaryote, eukaryotic cells in which replicated chromosomes are separated into two new Cell nucleus, nuclei. Cell division by mitosis is an equational division which gives rise to genetically identic ...

. Cell biology resources from the institute have been used in high school and college biology education, including at

Washington State University Washington State University (WSU, or colloquially Wazzu) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington, United States. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest Land-grant uni ...

The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group

The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group recommends research funding from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation to support bioscience and biomedical research. Projects supported by Frontiers Group awards include research on

regeneration Regeneration may refer to: Science and technology * Regeneration (biology), the ability to recreate lost or damaged cells, tissues, organs and limbs * Regeneration (ecology), the ability of ecosystems to regenerate biomass, using photosynthesis ...

gene drive A gene drive is a natural process and technology of genetic engineering that propagates a particular suite of genes throughout a population by altering the probability that a specific allele will be transmitted to offspring (instead of the Mende ...

s, and human brain evolution, among many others. The Frontiers Group directs research support through two primary award mechanisms: Allen Distinguished Investigator awards, which are typically three-year, $1.5 million awards given to one or a small set of researchers, and Allen Discovery Center awards, which are larger grants given to launch new research centers. To date, four Allen Discovery Centers have been launched.

Allen Institute for Immunology

The Allen Institute for Immunology, was launched with a $125 million donation from Paul G. Allen two months after Allen's death. The Allen Institute for Immunology's initial research focus is on the healthy human immune system and on changes in the immune system in two cancers,

multiple myeloma Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibody, antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone ...

and

melanoma Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer; it develops from the melanin-producing cells known as melanocytes. It typically occurs in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye (uveal melanoma). In very rare case ...

, and in three autoimmune diseases,

inflammatory bowel disease Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of inflammatory conditions of the colon and small intestine, with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (UC) being the principal types. Crohn's disease affects the small intestine and large intestine ...

Crohn's disease Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, abdominal distension, and weight loss. Complications outside of the ...

and

ulcerative colitis Ulcerative colitis (UC) is one of the two types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with the other type being Crohn's disease. It is a long-term condition that results in inflammation and ulcers of the colon and rectum. The primary sympto ...

. The institute does not conduct clinical research, but rather partners with existing clinical research groups at other organizations who collaborate on research and provide patient samples; the institute's research partners are the

Benaroya Research Institute Benaroya Research Institute (BRI) is a Seattle, Washington, non-profit organization that conducts medical research on diseases and immune disorders, including autoimmune disease. It is affiliated with Virginia Mason Health System, and is located ...

at Virginia Mason,

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, formerly known as the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and also known as Fred Hutch or The Hutch, is a cancer research institute established in 1975 in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington. History ...

, the

University of California San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Es ...

with the

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is the academic health sciences campus in Aurora, Colorado that houses the University of Colorado's six health sciences-related schools and colleges, including the University of Colorado Schoo ...

, and the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

. The institute's executive vice president and director is Ananda Goldrath, Ph.D.

Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics

The Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics was launched in November 2021, with a mission to study the neural circuits that support complex behavior. The institute is led by executive vice president

Karel Svoboda (scientist) Karel Svoboda (born 1965) is a neuroscientist. His research focuses on the question of how the neural circuits of the brain produce behavior. He has also performed notable work in molecular biophysics, neurotechnology, and neuroplasticity, parti ...

Scientific approach

The Allen Institute employs three core principles that distinguish it from traditional academic laboratory and industry organization settings. Their large-scale, data-rich "big science" projects aim to answer fundamental questions of biology. Cross-functional groups of employees with differing specialties work together in a collaborative "team science" environment. All data and resources generated within the Institute are made publicly available as part of their "open science" model. Notable public resources include the Allen Mouse Brain and Human Brain Atlases.

Board of directors

The Allen Institute Board of Directors is chaired by

Jody Allen Jo Lynn "Jody" Allen (born February 3, 1959) is an American businesswoman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. She is the younger sister of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and served as the chief executive officer of his investment and project ...

. Other current board members are Margaret Anderson, Joanne Berger-Sweeney, Ph.D., Phyllis J. Campbell, Alta Charo, J.D., Thomas L Daniel, Ph.D., Carla DewBerry, Steve Hall, Allan Jones, Ph.D., and Michael Stryker, Ph.D.

Accomplishments

* Allen Institute for Brain Science researchers collaborated with a research team from the

University of Szeged The University of Szeged () is a Public university, public research university in Szeged, Hungary. Established as the Jesuit Academy of Kolozsvár in present-day Cluj-Napoca in 1581, the institution was re-established as a university in 1872 by ...

to identify and name a newly discovered type of human neuron, the

rosehip neuron Rosehip neurons are inhibitory GABAergic neurons present in the first layer (the molecular layer) of the Human brain, human cerebral cortex. They make up about 10-15% of all Neurotransmitter#Excitatory and inhibitory, inhibitory neurons in Layer 1. ...

, which is not found in mice. The function of the rosehip neuron is as yet unclear. * In 2020, Allen Institute for Brain Science researchers reported the first electrical recordings from human

von Economo neurons Von Economo neurons, also called spindle neurons, are a specific class of mammalian cortical neurons characterized by a large spindle-shaped soma (or body) gradually tapering into a single apical axon (the ramification that ''transmits'' si ...

Collaborations

The Allen Institute for Brain Science is part of the

MICrONS The micrometre (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American English), also commonly known by the non-SI term micron, is a uni ...

program, which is funded by

IARPA The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) is an organization, within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), that is responsible for leading research to overcome difficult challenges facing the United Stat ...

. The research collaboration aims to map all the synapses in one cubic millimeter of the mouse brain, the largest such connectomics project to date. The Allen Institute for Brain Science hosts the

BRAIN Initiative The White House BRAIN Initiative (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) is a collaborative, public-private research initiative announced by the Obama administration on April 2, 2013, with the goal of supporting the devel ...

Cell Census Network, or BICCN, web data portal. This collaborative effort, funded by the National Institutes of Health, aims to create comprehensive catalogs of brain cell types from mouse, human and monkeys.

Headquarters

The Allen Institute is located in the

South Lake Union South Lake Union (sometimes SLU) is a neighborhood in central Seattle, Washington, so named because it is at the southern tip of Lake Union. The official boundaries of the City of Seattle Urban Center are Denny Way on the south, beyond which ...

neighborhood of

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

and houses the

, the

, the Allen Institute for Immunology, and the

Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group is a Seattle-based bioscience research initiative started in 2016 and funded with an initial investment of $100 million. It is a division of the Allen Institute. Its vision is to identify areas in bioscience ...

. The architects of the building were

Perkins + Will Perkins is a surname derived from the Anglo-Saxon corruption of the wikt:kin, kin of Pierre (from Pierre kin to Pierrekin to Perkins), introduced into England by the Norman Conquest. It is found throughout mid- and southern England. Another deriva ...

and construction was conducted by GLY. It is a LEED-Gold certified green building. The building is located at 615 Westlake Ave N and was dedicated on December 4, 2015, and was a runner up for building of the year by the

Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce The ''Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce'' is a daily (six days per week) newspaper based in Seattle, Washington specializing in business, construction, real estate, and legal news and public notices. History Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce ...

. To help facilitate their collaborative team science approach, the six-story building was designed around a central atrium, alternating laboratories with traditional and flexible meeting spaces throughout. The building also includes an auditorium were multiple public events and symposia are held. The location of the Allen Institute was home to the historic McKay Ford and Pacific auto dealer, built in the early 1920s. During construction the 2,760 piece terra cotta façade was removed and reinstalled upon completion of the building. It houses a craft beer hall with mini golf and other games.

Jaume Plensa Jaume Plensa i Suñé (; born 23 August 1955) is a Spanish people, Catalan visual artist, sculptor, designer and engraver. He has also created opera sets, video projections and acoustic installations. Biography Plensa was born in Barcelona, Ca ...

's sculpture '' Mirall'' was installed outside the building in October 2015. The art work features two large figures, each about 12 feet tall (3.6 metres).

References

External links

* * {{ProPublicaNonprofitExplorer, 912155317 Non-profit organizations based in Seattle 501(c)(3) organizations