"We want to understand the ties between the wiring and the underlying genes, " said Allan Jones, the institute's chief executive.

WSJ: Probing the Brain's Mysteries

At the outset he recruited Allan Jones, who had worked at the genetics startup, Rosetta, that Allen had dabbled with, to develop the Mouse Brain Atlas.

FORBES: Inside Paul Allen's Quest To Reverse Engineer The Brain

Graduates include the Conservative former Scottish Secretary Michael Forsyth, Dr Madsen Pirie, founder of the Adam Smith Institute and a host of former Tory Ministers including Chris Chope, Allan Stewart, Rob Jones and Michael Fallon.

BBC: Candidates