Brain Health accelerator aims to develop genetic therapies for brain disorders
8 reported
The Allen Institute in Seattle has launched the Brain Health accelerator, a $400 million initiative to develop genetic therapies for brain disorders including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, Lewy body dementia and Huntington’s. The effort is an outgrowth of the BRAIN Initiative, a public-private partnership announced by President Barack Obama in 2013. Ed Lein, who directs the institute’s brain health programs, said the latest genetic treatments allow scientists to control the activity of particular genes, opening the possibility for precision therapies. The accelerator has attracted researchers like Jeff Carroll, who carries the Huntington’s gene and previously studied the condition in mice at the University of Washington. Carroll said the scale of research needed is difficult with a small team, but the Allen Institute’s hundreds of staff allow a different approach. The institute was founded in 2003 by the late Paul Allen and his sister Jody Allen, and its policy of making databases publicly available means scientists worldwide can contribute to the research.
What’s reported
The Brain Health accelerator is a $400 million initiative launched by the Allen Institute in Seattle.
It aims to develop genetic therapies for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, Lewy body dementia and Huntington’s.
The accelerator is an outgrowth of the BRAIN Initiative, a public-private partnership announced by President Barack Obama in 2013.
Ed Lein directs the institute’s brain health programs and said genetic treatments allow control of gene activity.
Jeff Carroll, a researcher who carries the Huntington’s gene, joined the accelerator after studying mice at the University of Washington.
Support includes $200 million from the Allen Institute, $100 million from the Bezos family, and $100 million from sources including NIH, Amazon Web Services and EverythingALS.
The Allen Institute was founded in 2003 by Paul Allen and Jody Allen.
The institute makes its databases available to anyone.
Key figures
Ed Lein, director of brain health programs at the Allen Institute
John Ngai, senior investigator at the National Institutes of Health who directs the BRAIN Initiative
Jeff Carroll, researcher at the University of Washington who joined the accelerator
Paul Allen, late co-founder of Microsoft and founder of the Allen Institute
Jody Allen, sister of Paul Allen
Sources: NPR
