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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The neurons that respond to novelty
When mice see unfamiliar images, certain neurons in the visual part of their brains kick into high gear. Scientists think these neurons could be...
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A new discovery about ALS
Stem cell researcher Evangelos Kiskinis and his colleagues discovered a strange — literal — wrinkle in neurons from ALS patients. Allen Institute for Cell Science resources are helping them study these features in more detail.
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From brains to big data: How neuroscientists scale up research
A neuron’s months-long journey through the many sterile-gloved hands that make up a science pipeline
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Troy Torgerson | Transforming outcomes for patients
See how Troy Torgerson, Director of Experimental Immunology at the Allen Institute for Immunology, is leading cross-disciplinary teams in molecular...
immunology
video
These visual neurons don’t work the way scientists thought, study finds
A new survey of the activity of nearly 60,000 neurons in the mouse visual system reveals how far we have to go to understand how the brain computes.
brain science
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These small proteins reveal a new kind of brain diversity
Endorphins and other neuropeptides vary widely between brain cell types and point to new possible targets for psychiatric drugs, study finds
brain science
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Data Stories | How bird brains help us understand our own
Erich Jarvis studies how vocal learning evolves. Allen Institute resources are helping him connect the dots from bird song to human speech.
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Out of Balance | Maria’s journey with melanoma
A fortuitous event led to an early diagnosis. Ten years later, her cancer journey is not over.
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The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group Names New Allen Distinguished Investigators
Five new awardees will embark on stem cell and tissue research with the potential to impact human health
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How Hollywood’s latest animation technique is shedding new light on cell biology
A method developed to make more realistic computer graphics now forms the backbone of new 3D cell visualization tool
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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.
