Advances in modern medicine have been effective in limiting or altogether eliminating the influence of many bacterial and viral diseases that have limited the human life span for much of our history. However, a brand-new set of problems now plague an increasingly aging world: Incidences of cancer and neurodegenerative disorders in particular have been on the rise, and their treatment requires a precise understanding of the vast array of regulatory elements, developmental pathways and feedback mechanisms that characterize the modulation of cellular (and especially neural) behavior. Unfortunately, this understanding is currently beyond the grasp of modern science, and a monumental effort is necessary to characterize the complex network of signals that determine the behavior of the nervous system. Although the resolution of the entire puzzle is beyond the grasp of any single institute, the aim of Sabuncu Brain Research Center is to further the current knowledge on both the normal physiology of the brain and its alterations in the presence of disease, ultimately seeking to develop methods for detecting and treating a wide variety of brain-related disorders.