A comprehensive map of brain cells across different species
Official title: An extensible brain knowledge base and toolset spanning modalities for multi-species data-driven cell types
Funded at Allen Institute · NIH-11122348 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project is building a comprehensive database to organize and share detailed information about brain cells from humans and other species.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Allen Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,921,187 |
| NIH project number | 5U24MH130918-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11122348 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This project does not directly involve patient participation, but its findings could eventually benefit individuals with various brain-related conditions.
✕Less likely to help
Patients seeking immediate treatment or direct clinical intervention will not receive benefit from this foundational data organization project.
What this research studies
The BRAIN Initiative is creating detailed maps of brain cells, first in mice and now expanding to humans and other primates. This project aims to build an 'extensible Brain Cell Knowledge Base' (BCKB) to gather, standardize, and make this vast amount of information easily accessible. It will link brain cell data using common frameworks and flexible models to show how different cell types are related. This resource will start with mouse brain data and grow to include human and non-human primate brain data as it becomes available. The goal is to provide an open and interactive community resource for advancing knowledge of the brain.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: This knowledge base could help scientists better understand how the brain works in health and disease, potentially leading to new ways to treat brain conditions.
How similar studies have gone: This project builds upon the successful efforts of the BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Network, extending its work to organize and disseminate even more complex brain cell data.
Where this research is happening
-
Allen Institute
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mufti, Shoaib — Allen Institute
- Study coordinator: Mufti, Shoaib
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.