stories
news from the front lines of discovery
From scientific breakthroughs to new open‑source tools, the Allen Institute’s work is reshaping how science is done—and who it’s for. Explore the latest news, stories, and highlights from across our research, partnerships, and open science efforts.
Zapping the right brain cells: The path to improved stimulation
New findings could help scientists develop better ways to treat brain disorders with electrical stimulation.

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Science in Sixty | Ru Gunawardane
Ru Gunawardane, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the Allen Institute for Cell Science, where she leads a team of scientists, engineers, artists and other experts, all working together to understand how our cells function.
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Allen Institute adds leading health care attorney to board of directors
Carla DewBerry brings expertise in health care law and background in nonprofit philanthropic boards to the research organization’s governing board
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Modified, harmless viruses that light up neurons in glowing color could one day deliver treatments for deadly brain diseases
New neuroscience tools will enable detailed study of brain cells and could form the backbone of targeted gene therapies
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How old is this bat? A new DNA-based test can tell.
Molecular clock links immunity, cancer suppression to bats’ extraordinarily long lives; new method could also help conservation efforts
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How do you name a neuron?
A new brain cell lexicon aims to provide a common language for neuroscientists
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Allen Institute adds leading authority on bioethics to board of directors
Alta Charo brings background and expertise in the law, bioethics and government relations to the nonprofit research organization’s governing board
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Allen Institute launches fellowship for data scientists to study the brain
The Shanahan Foundation Fellowship at the Interface of Data and Neuroscience, a 3-year fellowship program co-hosted by the Allen Institute and the University of Washington, is now accepting applications
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Eric Isaac | #BlackExcellence
Black History Month 2021, we celebrated Black Excellence across the Allen Institute in a video series featuring members of our team in their own...
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Celebrating #BlackExcellence at the Allen Institute
Black History Month 2021, we celebrated Black Excellence across the Allen Institute in a video series featuring members of our team in their own...
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Alice Mukora | #BlackExcellence
Black History Month 2021, we're celebrating Black Excellence across the Allen Institute. Here in her own words is Data Analyst Alice Mukora.
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Science Friday: 3,000 Types Of Brain Cells Categorized In Massive Brain Cell Atlas
In October 2023, an international group of scientists released an impressively detailed cell atlas of the human brain, published in 21 papers in the journals Science, Science Advances and Science Translational Medicine.
STAT: Allen Institute CEO Rui Costa on mapping the brain and paying early-career scientists decent salaries
Mapping the billions of cells that make up the brain is a task mammoth enough to keep hundreds of researchers across continents busy for years. But it’s just one of several ambitious projects the Allen Institute is helping tackle.
Scientific American: First Atlas of Every Mouse Brain Cell Could Improve Neuro Disease Treatments
Neuroscientists have unveiled their most comprehensive and detailed map of cell types across the entire mouse brain, delivering the latest results of a six-year-long scientific effort in which Seattle’s Allen Institute has played a leading role.
Quanta Magazine: New Cell Atlases Reveal Untold Variety in the Brain and Beyond
(Photo credit: Peter Greenwood for Quanta Magazine.) Recent efforts to map every cell in the human body have researchers floored by unfathomable diversity, with many thousands of subtly different types of cells in the human brain alone.
Seattle Times: Research that brings AI into human cells will soon expand in Seattle
The Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology, set to open in January, is a result of collaboration between the Allen Institute, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and the University of Washington that aims to build new technologies to record the history of our bodies’ cells.
Yahoo News: Allen Frontiers Group awards $10M to set up research center for neuroimmunology
The neuroimmunology research center will be led by Brian Kim of Mount Sinai and David Artis of Weill Cornell Medicine. They’ll bring together a multidisciplinary team to trace interactions between the nervous system and the immune system that occur at sites distant from the brain.
