Google DeepMind and Meta back Biohub virtual cell with $300M

Google DeepMind, Meta, and Isomorphic Labs are jointly investing $300 million in Biohub, the nonprofit biomedical research organization founded by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan.

The funding forms part of a larger $1.8 billion effort. The total initiative combines the $300 million from the three commercial partners with $500 million from Biohub itself, more than $500 million from the US Department of Energy over five years, and more than $500 million in prior federal datasets and repositories from the National Institutes of Health.

Biohub will use the money to build AI datasets that let researchers ask, predict, and answer biological questions digitally.

Biohub’s goal is a predictive virtual cell model. Founded in 2016, the organization seeks to simulate cellular processes so scientists can run experiments in software rather than physical labs. The project is framed as a way to speed discovery of new methods to prevent and manage diseases.

Alex Rives, Biohub’s head of science, said an accurate predictive model of biology could dramatically accelerate scientific discovery by enabling scientists to perform experiments digitally.

Commercial partners receive a one-year data head start. Google DeepMind, Meta, and Isomorphic Labs will have early access to the generated datasets before they are opened more broadly. The Department of Energy contribution will support the effort through its Genesis Mission, which includes access to exascale supercomputers and advanced imaging tools.

Project leaders target a five-year timeline. Rives stated the work that normally takes decades could be compressed to five years, with the first dataset expected within roughly one year and accurate models within five years.