$500M for Virtual Biology Initiative, Funded by Zuckerbergs

3 hours ago

Biohub announces the Virtual Biology Initiative, committing $500 million over five years: $100 million to support global data generation and $400 million for in-house technology and data creation.
The goal is to build predictive models of cells by generating vast multimodal datasets and developing next-generation measurement and imaging technologies to understand disease mechanisms.
Key partners include the Allen Institute, Arc Institute, Broad Institute, Wellcome Sanger Institute, and consortia such as the Human Cell Atlas and Human Protein Atlas, with NVIDIA providing computing support and Renaissance Philanthropy helping expand funding.
Data generated will be openly available to accelerate scientific discovery, enabling digital experimentation at scale beyond current lab capabilities.
The initiative aims to galvanize a global effort, recognizing that no single organization can achieve the necessary data scale alone, and seeks additional funding and collaboration from the worldwide scientific community.

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