Ed Lean

And that opens up the possibility for very specific, precision genetic therapies for brain disorders.

The Allen Institute in Seattle is running the collaborative effort known as the Brain Health Accelerator.

It's an outgrowth of the federally funded Brain Initiative, which was launched by President Obama in 2013.

Ed Lean of the Allen Institute says scientists now know how to tweak a particular gene in certain brain cells.

Lean says one of the first targets will be Huntington's disease, a fatal inherited disorder.

It's caused by a genetic mutation that tells nerve cells to make too much of one type of protein.

Scientists think gene therapy can prevent this.

John Hamilton, NPR News.