Microsoft co-founder gave $100M to brain research; his institute mapped 21,000 genes

Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen committed $100 million to brain research in 2003, funding the creation of the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle. Its first major project was the Allen Brain Atlas, an effort to map gene activity across the mouse brain. Three years later, the institute announced the completion of the atlas, creating a detailed, three-dimensional map covering more than 21,000 genes at the cellular level. As listed on the website, the data was made publicly available online at no cost, giving scientists around the world access to information that could help them study the brain and disorders including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, schizophrenia and autism.Why did Paul Allen invest $100 million in brain researchPaul Allen said he had become increasingly interested in genomics and neuroscience and wanted to understand how the brain works.“Over the last decade I have become increasingly interested in the fields of genomics and…