Allen Institute

Allen Institute Accelerating science for a healthier world. The Allen Institute is an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit medical research organization.

With recent advances in computing power, enhanced microscopy, better neuron-tracing tools, and artificial intelligence, ...
05/21/2026

With recent advances in computing power, enhanced microscopy, better neuron-tracing tools, and artificial intelligence, scientists now believe it’s a matter of when, not if, they can emulate a human brain in a computer.

Pediatric IBD is more aggressive, harder to treat, and growing in prevalence.Together with Seattle Children's, we're app...
05/19/2026

Pediatric IBD is more aggressive, harder to treat, and growing in prevalence.

Together with Seattle Children's, we're applying deep immune profiling to decode what is happening and identify treatments.

What is a human brain cell but not a neuron? It sounds like a riddle, but our brains are full of other, lesser-known cel...
05/19/2026

What is a human brain cell but not a neuron? It sounds like a riddle, but our brains are full of other, lesser-known cells besides the textbook-famous electrical-signal-conducting neurons.

Some of these cells, known collectively as glial cells, seem to be just as complicated as neurons but because they don’t send signals in the same way, are even harder to study in the lab.

Shown above in a microscopy image, a delicate type of brain cell known as an astrocyte, named for their star-like shape. Allen Institute scientists study how the types of brain cells, including astrocyte types, varies across mammals. This particular human astrocyte appears to be a rare type known as a varicose projection astrocyte, so-called because it makes contact with blood vessels in the brain. This kind of astrocyte has only been found in the brains of humans and other apes.

05/15/2026

Fentanyl is 100x stronger than morphine and it's reshaping the public health landscape.

In this episode of Lab Notes, meet two social service providers who work directly with people in treatment and recovery and a leading neuroscientist working to unravel its mysteries.

🎧 Listen in: https://alleninstitute.org/news/lab-notes-the-neuroscience-of-addiction/

05/13/2026

This vibrant video by our Immunology team shows how similar/different millions of cells are to one another. Each tiny dot represents a single cell; and their color, the cell type: cyan for intestinal cells, red for T cells, white for liver cells, orange for smooth muscle cells.

The technical name for this vibrant image is a Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP). Researchers use UMAPs to simplify and visualize complex data so that it is easier to interpret and understand.

05/10/2026

Science for all.

It's not just what you say, but how you say it.Meet our new custom typeface, built to make complex science clear and wel...
05/07/2026

It's not just what you say, but how you say it.

Meet our new custom typeface, built to make complex science clear and welcoming.

Denis Turcu thought he had his future mapped out: double major in math and physics, a Ph.D. in theoretical physics, and ...
05/07/2026

Denis Turcu thought he had his future mapped out: double major in math and physics, a Ph.D. in theoretical physics, and a path into academia.

Then, midway through college, a computational neuroscience class changed everything.

Now a Shanahan Fellow, Denis uses the same mathematical tools he once aimed at physics to study something even more complex: the brain.

From fly movement to fish communication to brain‑inspired learning models, his work explores how math, biology, and behavior come together to shape intelligence.

A departure from the predictable blues, grays, and whites of our industry, our new palette represents energy and excitem...
05/07/2026

A departure from the predictable blues, grays, and whites of our industry, our new palette represents energy and excitement with colors directly inspired by our scientific imagery.

How do cancer cells spread so quickly?OMRF researchers used Allen Institute cell lines to decode the genetic defect that...
05/06/2026

How do cancer cells spread so quickly?

OMRF researchers used Allen Institute cell lines to decode the genetic defect that not only kickstarts cancer, but also makes it out compete the body's healthy cells.

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