​The Allen Institute for Cell Science has released the Allen Cell Collection: the first publicly available collection of gene edited, fluorescently tagged human induced pluripotent stem cells that target key cellular structures with unprecedented clarity. Distributed through the Coriell Institute for Medical Research, these powerful tools are a crucial first step toward visualizing the dynamic organization of cells to better understand what makes human cells healthy and what goes wrong in disease. 

​Today the Allen Institute for Cell Science is releasing a set of gene-edited stem cells to the public that are “pluripotent,” meaning they have the ability to turn into any tissue or organ in the body. But scientists at the institute, founded by Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist Paul Allen, didn’t edit the cells’ genes with the intention of modifying embryos or doing anything else to rankle bioethicists who worry about CRISPR/Cas9 and other emerging gene-editing techniques.

The Allen Institute for Cell Science has released the Allen Cell Collection: the first publicly available collection of gene edited, fluorescently tagged human induced pluripotent stem cells that target key cellular structures with unprecedented clarity.

The Allen Institute for Cell Science is distributing its first tranche of gene-edited stem cell lines, with more to come shortly. These lines are very well characterized and designed to be useful for cell biologists around the globe.

Rick Horwitz
​Allen Institute for Cell Science
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Tony Hyman
​Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics