The Allen Institute for Brain Science, located in Seattle, Washington, was founded in 2003 by Philanthropists Paul G. Allen and Jody Allen Patton as a nonprofit corporation (501(c) (3)) and medical research organization. A multidisciplinary group of neuroscientists, molecular biologists, informaticists, engineers, mathematicians, statisticians, and computational biologists have been brought together to form the scientific core of the Allen Institute. Utilizing the mouse model system, these fields have joined together to investigate expression of 20,000 genes in the adult mouse brain and to map gene expression to a cellular level beyond neuroanatomic boundaries. The data generated from this joint effort is contained in the publicly available Allen Brain Atlas application located at www.brain-map.org. Upon completion of the Allen Brain Atlas, this consortium of scientists will pursue additional questions to further our understanding of neuronal circuitry and the neuroanatomic framework that defines the functionality of the brain.

Paul Allen provided $100M in seed money to fund the Allen Brain Atlas and to initiate other scientific programs. The Institute anticipates that Federal and State funds, along with other private funds will provide the foundation of a public-private funding partnership. This financial model sets the stage for future science being funded through public and private partnerships. Keep checking the project section of our site as we launch new initiatives.

We currently occupy a space of approximately 32,000 square feet, comprised of both premiere ‘wet’ or bench laboratory facilities, in addition to our microscopy suite, and Allen Institute server room. This space is home to a staff of 85 multidisciplinary personnel that continues to grow. If you’re interested in joining our team please check the career section of the site for exciting job opportunities.