Invited by Prof. XU Tao, the Director General of IBP, Prof. ZENG Hongkui, the Executive Director of Allen Institute for Brain Science (AIBS), visited IBP and delivered BEI Shizhang Lecture.

AIBS is a Seattle-based independent, nonprofit medical research organization dedicated to accelerating the understanding of how the human brain works. Started with $100 million in seed money from Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul Allen in 2003, the Institute tackles projects at the leading edge of science—far-reaching projects at the intersection of biology and technology.

In 2006, Mouse Brain Genome Atlas launched by AIBS laid a solid foundation for the exploration of the mysteries of human brains. In 2014, AIBS published two papers on NATURE, revealing Human Gene Expression Atlas and Mouse Neutral Connectivity Atlas, which confirmed the prestige of AIBS in the field of brain and cognitive science worldwide.

As the senior scientist and Executive Director of AIBS, Prof. ZENG Hongkui has devoted herself to many scientific research projects of AIBS since 2006, including Transgenic Technology Program, Human Cortex Gene Survey Project, Allen Mouse Brain Connectivity Atlas Project, and Mouse Cell Types and Connectivity Program, making great contributions to the research on Mouse Neutral Connectivity Atlas.

IBP paid great attention to Prof. ZENG’s visit. In the morning, she visited Center for Biological Imaging, Center for Brain Imaging, and Protein Science Core Facility. Then, she talked with senior PIs from Key Laboratory for Brain and Cognitive Science one by one, knowing more about the research focuses and status quo of brain and cognitive science of IBP. In the afternoon, she delivered BEI Shizhang Lecture, entitled Genetic Approaches to Brain Circuit Mapping and Cell Type Characterization, introducing the cutting-edge techniques and hot topics in the field of brain and cognitive science to over 200 students and scientists. Then, Human Brain Project Meeting was held, in which the scientific management, top-level design, project implementation, and team building were discussed.

Her visit played an important role in further cooperation between IBP and AIBS.