25-Year Global Project Aims to Map the Primate Brain Cell by Cell and Reveal What Makes Us Human
- Ritambhara K
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Image Credit: Chinese Academy of Sciences
The human brain may no longer be an unexplored frontier, but much of its complexity remains beyond our reach. Scientists have long understood that memories arise in the hippocampus and that the amygdala drives our fight-or-flight response. Yet, despite knowing this, humanity is still far from cataloging all 86 billion neurons and an equal number of glial cells, let alone understanding how they connect to create thought and consciousness.
A Global Effort to Decode the Brain
In a historic move, scientists from around the world gathered on 20 September to launch the International Consortium for Primate Brain Mapping (ICPBM)—a 25-year global collaboration designed to chart the intricate architecture of the primate brain.
“Our goal is to uncover the neural architecture underlying all the brain’s functions,” said Mu-ming Poo, ICPBM chair and scientific director of the Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The consortium will analyze marmoset, macaque, and human brains to build detailed multiomic atlases—comprehensive maps showing every cell type, their genetic activity, and how they connect across brain regions. These atlases will span developing, adult, aging, and diseased brains from diverse populations.
Ambitious Vision, Global Collaboration
ICPBM currently unites nine institutions from Australia, China, Germany, Hungary, India, South Korea, and Spain, with over 100 individual scientists from 25 countries involved. Though geopolitical tensions have deterred U.S. institutions from joining formally, American scientists remain active participants.
China’s central government and the Shanghai authorities have pledged funding and facilities to support the project, including high-resolution imaging hubs and a web platform for global data sharing. Member institutions will contribute brain samples, molecular analyses, and advanced imaging techniques.
“The scale of what’s being proposed is mind-blowing,” said Marcello Rosa of Monash University. “It might sound impossible even in 25 years—but the technology is advancing in a systematic and impressive way.”
Unlocking Clues to Human Cognition and Disease
The potential payoff is immense. Mapping the primate brain at this scale could reveal molecular mechanisms behind neurological disorders such as stroke and Alzheimer’s, as well as new insights into what makes human cognition unique.
The effort builds on earlier achievements, including complete brain atlases of fruit flies and zebrafish, and the mouse brain transcriptome published in 2023 under the U.S. NIH BRAIN Initiative. Yet scaling up from mice to primates is an order of magnitude more complex.
For example, a marmoset brain—half the size of a walnut—contains over 1 billion cells, while a macaque’s brain has around 13 billion, and the human brain more than ten times that number.
Technology Driving the Next Frontier
China’s rapid progress in brain imaging and single-cell sequencing gives it an edge. A standout innovation is Stereo-cell, a technology developed by BGI Group that can capture genetic data from nearly 1 million cells on a single chip, even from preserved samples.
Access to human brains remains limited due to ethical and practical constraints, making nonhuman primate studies crucial. As Andrew Parker of Otto von Guericke University notes, animal models offer clearer anatomy that complements human tissue studies.
A Truly International Endeavor
The ICPBM’s global members each bring unique strengths: India is mapping human cell types from autopsies, Iran is building a national primate facility, and a coalition of Asian synchrotron centers known as SYNAPSE aims to image the human brain at subcellular resolution.
Despite rising international isolationism, scientists remain hopeful. “Pooling expertise, technologies, and data is the only realistic way to achieve this goal,” said Dong Won Kim of Aarhus University.
Even if U.S. participation remains limited, Hongkui Zeng of the Allen Institute believes coordination must continue: “The results will have a tremendous impact on neuroscience worldwide.”
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