Disease-specific cells developed by the Allen Institute for Cell Science offer a new window into the world's most common genetic heart condition.

(Photo credit: Fierce Biotech) By helping scientists make generalizations about the disease by unearthing the common denominator between mutations, the cells could ultimately lead to more personalized treatment approaches.

(Photo credit: Technology Networks/iStock) BARseq reveals that peripheral inputs can alter the identity of cortical neurons during development.

(Interview starts 11:35 in) Troy McDiarmid from the Seattle Center for Synthetic Biology describes the innovative research underway to create cellular recorders that will track the full life histories of human cells to better understand disease.

The Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology is developing technology to monitor genomic changes in cells in real time, in turn showing cells' whole histories and the genetic causes of disease.

(Photo credit: miakievy / Getty Images) The adult human brain is made up of billions of neurons and glial cells. Understanding the diversity of these cells and their distinctive gene-regulatory mechanisms is crucial for determining how the brain works and, in turn, for developing treatments for neurologic disorders

(Photo credit: Charlotte Schubert) Researchers opened the doors Monday to the new Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology, a collaboration between the Allen Institute, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and the University of Washington.

This comprehensive map laid the foundation for the next stage of investigations, such as scaling up efforts to chart nonhuman primates and human brains.