The Allen Institute for Brain Science and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have teamed up to create a new resource for neuroscience called the Brain Knowledge Platform. The platform aims to create a complete reference of individual cells in the brain and serve as the world’s largest open source brain cell database. The Allen Institute is using single-cell genomics technologies to build the platform, which, when complete, will be a high-resolution map of the entire brain. AWS’ cloud computing and machine learning will be used to standardize and consolidate complex brain data into one place.
Building the Brain Knowledge Platform
The Brain Knowledge Platform is expected to become a transformative new resource for the field of neuroscience. The first of its kind, the platform aims to be a complete reference of individual cells in the brain. Researchers at the Allen Institute are using single cell genomics technologies to build this high-resolution map of the entire brain.
The researchers measure the genes used by individual brain cells to create a “cell fingerprint.” Cells with similar fingerprints will be grouped into “cell types,” resulting in a high-resolution map of the entire brain. The reference will help scientists better understand links between genetics and different cognitive functions. Researchers believe the platform could provide insights into why diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s occur.
Dr. Ed Lein, senior investigator at the Allen Institute for Brain Science, stated that the platform is like the periodic table for the brain. It’s revealed in dramatically higher complexity than we’ve ever had access to before. The reference will be a complete reference of individual cells in the brain and should eventually serve as the world’s largest open source brain cell database.
Challenges of Creating the Brain Knowledge Platform
Although the Allen Institute is no stranger to data, creating a complete reference like the Brain Knowledge Platform means researchers will have to contend with massive amounts of data. There are hundreds of billions of cells in the brain. Therefore, the Allen Institute is leveraging AWS’ cloud computing and machine learning to standardize and consolidate complex brain data into one place.
When carrying out research involving genetics and imaging, scientists are often working with petabytes and even exabytes of data. Dr. Rowland Illing, director of international public sector health at AWS, said that consuming 40 petabytes of data would require someone to watch 4k video for 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for 100 years. However, the amount of data available to researchers is expected to keep growing in coming years.
Democratizing Access to Knowledge
There is a lot of existing brain data in the neuroscience field. The problem, however, is that much of it is disorganized and decentralized, making it difficult for researchers to access. The Allen Institute plans to use AWS’ technology to interpret this disparate data, even if it’s stored across different formats and locations. Dr. Lein said that this will hopefully further democratize access to knowledge and bring parts of the neuroscience community together.
The Allen Institute plans to build the Brain Knowledge Platform over the next five years. Although it is still in its early phases, the potential for the tech is immense. Dr. Lein said that if they can do this, it will unify the disparate parts of the field that can’t talk to one another at the moment. The Brain Knowledge Platform has the potential to accelerate our understanding of brain function, as well as new approaches for treating diseases.
The Allen Institute for Brain Science and AWS have teamed up to create a new resource for neuroscience called the Brain Knowledge Platform. The platform aims to create a complete reference of individual cells in the brain and serve as the world’s largest open source brain cell database. The Allen Institute is using single cell genomics technologies to build this high-resolution map of the entire brain. AWS’ cloud computing and machine learning will be used to standardize and consolidate complex brain data into one place. The Brain Knowledge Platform has the potential to accelerate our understanding of brain function, as well as new approaches for treating diseases.
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