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The Allen Brain Atlas: 5 years and beyond
Allan R Jones1, Caroline C Overly, Susan M Sunkin
1Allen Institute for Brain Science, 551 North 34th Street, Seattle, Washington 98103, USA. AllanJ@alleninstitute.org
Nature Reviews. Neuroscience
|October 15, 2009
Summary
The Allen Brain Atlas provides a comprehensive, genome-wide view of gene expression in the adult mouse brain. This open-access resource overcame significant technical and research model challenges to become a vital tool for neuroscience research.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genomics
- Bioinformatics
Background:
- The Allen Brain Atlas is a Web-based, genome-wide atlas detailing gene expression in the adult mouse brain.
- Its development involved substantial technical hurdles and an unconventional open research approach.
Purpose of the Study:
- To document the creation and impact of the Allen Brain Atlas.
- To highlight its role as a foundational tool in neuroscience.
- To identify future research opportunities.
Main Methods:
- Web-based data dissemination.
- Genome-wide gene expression profiling in adult mouse brain.
- Open research and community collaboration model.
Main Results:
- The Allen Brain Atlas was successfully completed despite significant challenges.
- It has become an indispensable resource for neuroscientists globally.
- It has paved the way for similar open scientific resources.
Conclusions:
- The Allen Brain Atlas represents a landmark achievement in large-scale biological data generation and sharing.
- Overcoming development challenges has established it as a critical tool for advancing neuroscience.
- Further exploration of the atlas data holds significant potential for future discoveries.
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